My driver had been advancing up the long, formal drive path through the trees for at least twenty minutes since we entered the pack lands of the Moon Blood Pack.
The Martins were always so ostentatious wanting to present as a warped sort of royalty. It kinda disgusted me how my father fed into that and tried to elevate our pack in the same way. It was always an attempt to keep up with the Martins.
Using the drive as a time to rest wasn’t happening. I was exhausted from everything that happened recently. That goal was too much to hope for, honestly. I wanted to put out of my mind how the last few days had been like my own personal hell.
Finding my mate in the past few days was a hurricane that wrecked me completely. The extreme emotions of joy at finding her followed by the experience of losing her so soon after had me feeling like I’d been in a fist fight where I couldn’t fight back. The aches and pains still pulsed through my body without relief. The very thought of Angelica made me want to smile as my pulse rose, even amid my misery.
She was perfect for me in every way: friendly, smart, wise, kind, beautiful, joyful, and genuinely loves caring for others and being helpful to those around her. I loved her at once. She was better than me in every way, but I didn’t feel that was a bad thing. I felt inspired, challenged, and proud.
My parents couldn’t accept that their only child was that way and assured me the pack wouldn’t either. Nevertheless, I fought them for a while. There had never been a successful female Alpha with a female mate, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. Other female matings were successful in pack history, so this shouldn’t be any different.
My father was too obsessed with carrying on a genetic legacy and growing the pack through his bloodline. This whole plan to force Tristan and me to mate was to get an ultimate Alpha child from his bloodline to merge our packs into some super-powerful wolf empire.
He had been alluding to something big and mysterious on the horizon, and he had to get ready, mumbling about being the strongest pack to lead the coming times in the right way forward. It was a little unnerving to me, and I was beginning to seriously worry about him until I found my mate and realized he was just crazy.
He threatened to exile and turn rogue Angelica’s entire family from within our pack, hundreds of wolves, if I didn’t reject her. He seemed crazy enough to do it and I recognized the seriousness of his intention. It would have been a vastly irresponsible and dangerous thing to do.
Angelica’s extended family made up at least a third, or maybe even half of our pack’s numbers. To rogue that many wolves and expel them from the territory would not only weaken our pack significantly but also give them a limited amount of time to find a pack before the rogue nature began to corrupt their minds.
In the end, I couldn’t bear to see all of that unnecessary suffering. I told her she had to let me go. It wasn’t much of a choice for either of us. Angelica had to choose her family; it was the right thing to do. She sobbed so much that she could barely get the words out. I wanted her to be the one to reject me because I didn’t want her to live with the feeling that she was unwanted. I wanted her. I just couldn’t stand to see her in so much pain.
Rejection is brutal, even when you know the other person doesn’t want to do it. The fire burned in my chest and the heat increased over and over, radiating pain in my bones and out into the rest of my body, even to the tips of my fingers and toes.
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It seemed like my bones were cracking and fracturing to shift into my wolf, but with so much more intensity and no actual movement or progress toward relief. Physically, the pain was beyond anything I’d ever felt before, but the emotional pain was just as bad.
Like anxious butterflies in my belly and heartache on steroids, my inner turmoil caused an emotional pain so intense that my head exploded in the worst migraine of my life. As if pieces of my brain were being carved out of my head while I was awake without pain medication, I passed out just after it occurred to me that I could actually die.
When I woke up, I was in my bed feeling empty and alone. After a couple more excruciating days, my mother came in to inform me Alpha Martin’s son was of age now, and they had agreed to mate us under an alliance agreement.
It didn’t matter now who I was forcibly bred to; it would never be her, so I no longer cared. The only thing I could do for her now was to submit to my father’s will in order to keep her safe.
Here I was waiting to arrive. Tristan and I had met a few times over the years, and he and I got along fine. We just didn’t know each other that well.
I wondered why he was available to make this match. Was it because he was being forced, too? Maybe he hadn’t been able to find his mate or didn’t care about such things. Perhaps he’d been through something like my own experience.
My life-long driver, David, who was also, by a cruel twist of fate, my beloved Angelica’s father, stopped out of view of the pack house. In addition to my driver, David was my bodyguard from birth. He knew more about me than anyone else that ever knew me. In truth, the man was more of a father to me than the Alpha ever was.
“Avery,” he began without looking back at me, a catch of emotion in his voice, “I asked for permission to transfer packs and stay with you, but the Alpha denied the request. I’m sure you understand the reasons.”
Tears formed in his eyes.
“I tried, Avery. I’m allowed to stay for two nights to get you settled then I must go back. I’m sorry I couldn’t do better by you.”
“It’s ok, David. Thank you for trying. At least I have you for a couple more days, right?” I smiled at him in the rearview mirror with more calm in my voice than I felt.
His expression remained grim.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
“I’m ready,” I confirmed in a firm and determined tone.
It wasn’t like it mattered to me. If I couldn’t have Angelica, then the rest was inconsequential.
He turned back to the wheel and continued the drive to the pack house. We arrived quickly and he exited the car to open my door.
When I stepped out, I saw Alpha Martin and Luna Beverly standing with Tristan waiting to greet me.
Taking in the crisp finished appearance of the Alpha in his suit and the designer dress of the Luna, I internally cringed. Tristan was wearing a normal t-shirt and jeans combo and looked handsome enough for most women, I supposed.
The Luna and Alpha were smiling, and Tristan was making intense eye contact with a serious expression. He wanted to talk.
The Luna spoke first, in an overly simpering tone, “Avery, welcome! We’re so excited to have you with us at last.”
The Alpha smiled down at me and took my hand, patting me on the back of it like a doting father, “It’s good to see you, my dear. I look forward to the joining of our families. Please make yourself at home.”
He gently released my hand and said, “I’ve got to get back to my Alpha duties now. My Luna will make you comfortable,” then strutted away without waiting for a reply.
Luna Beverly took up the conversation, without me having said a word to anyone yet, “You must be tired, Avery. Would you like to rest in your room before your tour?”
I tried to smile at her, “To be honest, I’m a little sore from sitting in the car so long.”
Tristan, sharp as always, knew his cue right away. He stepped forward and reached out his hand, “Let me take you for a little walk to stretch your legs,” he said casually.
I accepted his hand, smiling amicably, “Thanks, Tristan, I’d like that.”
The Luna sighed in relief and called after us, “We’ll see you both at dinner!”
Tristan didn’t reply as he pulled me towards the trees.