Never again

6. Future Luna

Mandy's POV

Seeing that woman at his office door was eye opening. He already had a girlfriend. No matter what, I'll never be good enough- she was stunning, tall and to top it all, a werewolf. That's not me.

Thankfully, the night was cut short by Peter who was eager to go home. The reason was evident by their enthusiastic PDA. I was so jealous of them. We drove home in silence, well except for the moans, groans and kissing sounds I heard from the backseat. I focused on the road, trying not to show my sour mood. Great night out, I thought bitterly.

…

"Hello?" I sleepily answered my phone that had been ringing on the nightstand, Let me sleep, people!

"Hello, sleepy head!" The happy voice of my brother made me groan. I turned on my left side, still not opening my eyes.

"Let me sleep, Deacon, I had a rough night" I complained.

"Rough night huh? So, this is what they call a hook up nowadays?" he asked, amused. Oh how close I was to having that hook up, too. Shaking off the dirty thoughts, I told him about the previous night, avoiding the Alpha episode.

"I'm glad you're having fun, have you met Ethan?" he asked, and I instantly woke up and sat on the bed, a little nervous. Why was he asking about him?

"Yeah... I did."

"Why do you sound so nervous, is he treating you well?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm not nervous, just sleepy. And he's nice, don't worry" I tried to assure him, "I just don't see him much, that's all." I added but he didn't buy it.

"Mandy, what's going on? I'm worried!" He pleaded with me to tell him the truth.

Sighing in defeat, I decided to spill the beans. "Promise you won't do anything reckless?" I begged. "He's my second chance mate." I blurted quickly and was met with a deafening silence. "D, are you there?" I asked, not hearing anything.

"Did he..." he trailed off, not able to finish the question.

"No, he didn't reject me, but he's not happy with me, I guess." I told him.

"That's good, that means there is a chance for you. He is a good guy, cupcake. Give him time, he'll come around." he assured me, but I wasn't convinced. He had a girlfriend!

"Yeah..." I muttered, "Let's not talk about it, no one knows except you now." I hoped he would leave it alone, and thankfully he did. We talked about my stay there, progress with Peter's situation and he told me about Aidan's training and Bella's constant tantrums. That made me laugh, she's so like me. After we bid our goodbyes, I showered and dressed up. Time for grocery shopping. With my shopping list in my bag, I went out to the car. When I saw Blake coming my way, my mood instantly changed.

"Hi honey, what brings you here?" I asked, surprised. Did 'Almighty' let him come here?

"I came to play with you, are you going somewhere?" he asked, seeing me standing next to my car.

"Yes, I need to do some shopping," I replied.

"Can I come with you?" he asked pleadingly.

"I don't know honey, what about your dad?" I was really not sure it was a good idea. He quickly took out his phone and called his dad. Great.

"Hi Daddy, can I go shopping with Amanda?" he asked, sounding excited.

"Ok," Blake answered and gave me his phone. I looked at him questioningly. "He wants to talk with you." he smiled, unaware of our situation. I took the phone and put it to my ear.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"Are you kidding me? Is this your plan to piss me off-"

I cut him off, not wanting to hear his hurtful words. "I simply need to go shopping, Alpha, if you're concerned about Blake's safety, I can ask Peter to join us." I said, trying to not show my annoyance in front of Blake.

"Did you just cut me off?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yes," I answered, smiling to let him know I was not afraid of him. He groaned in frustration, but finally agreed. I celebrated with a victory dance in my mind.

We got in the car and drove to the mall. Luckily, Peter didn't object and brought Ben with him. We spent a good few hours having fun, shopping, laughing and playing around. We ended up eating pizza and ice cream.

...

When I finally finished stocking my cabinets, I was tired. The boys really wore me out, so I decided to lay down for a little nap.

A loud banging on my cabin's door woke me up. I checked the time on my phone and saw four missed calls from an unknown number. The banging got louder.

"I'm coming!" I shouted and got up from bed, ready to murder the culprit. "What?" I shouted, opening the door still half asleep.

"Why are you not answering my calls?" 'Almighty' asked, clearly pissed off. I was stunned. What was he doing here?

"Well, I was sleeping, what brings the Almighty Alpha to the commoner?" I asked, irritated. I turned around and headed to the kitchen for a glass of juice. I left the door open so he could enter if he really wanted to. I heard the door close, wow he came in.

"I called you a few times, you didn't answer." he sounded almost concerned.

"And?"

"And I was worried." he mumbled but I still heard him. Was he serious? Still holding an empty glass, I laughed. Oh, dear God, what a joke. He waited with his arms crossed, irritated at my outburst. If I wasn't laughing, I would definitely drool at the sight.

"Oh, you're not joking?" I asked seriously. He only gave me a stern look. I sighed. "Listen, you don't need to be worried about me. Despite my height, I'm a big girl so..." I turned to the fridge and poured myself an orange juice.

"About yesterday..." he started.

I turned around quickly, almost spilling my drink. "No, please do not mention it, it was a mistake so let's forget about it." I said, looking at his chest. I didn't want to see his face while he agreed with me.

"But you liked it." he stated in a low, deep voice, closing the distance between us. His intoxicating scent invaded my nose, and my core awoke. First, he rejected me and now this. Is he also bipolar?

"So did you," I answered, looking at his lips, licking mine automatically. Why is he doing this to me?

"Yes" he whispered, leaning his head down, his eyes on my lips. Did he want me too? I put my hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away, but he circled his arms around my waist and brought me closer. The sparks appeared, he was so warm, my heartbeat quickened, and I bit my lower lip in anticipation to repeat last night. As quickly as the thought came to my mind, I pushed him away with all my strength.

"But you already have a Luna!" I shouted at him. His eyes widened with surprise, so I continued. "Please show me just a little bit of respect and end this now. I won't stand in your way. I’ve suffered enough and I definitely don't need another heartbreak." My voice was shaking at the end and my eyes filled with tears.

He stood frozen, staring at me as if he didn't know what to say. "I...I..." he stuttered, and I turned my back to him.

"Just please leave, please!" I begged, my voice totally broken, and the tears flowed down my face. I still felt his presence for a moment, but he finally obeyed and left.

…

The next day I was surprisingly invited to a bonfire party, and I agreed. I asked Aria to accompany me, she looked like she needed some friends. When she agreed, I invited her to my place so that we could get ready together and chat. It was a good distraction; the Alpha was almost forgotten for the day.

"Can I borrow this?" she asked, showing me my baby blue cashmere off one shoulder sweater. I smiled in approval. Good choice.

"Try it on and here, put this on too" I instructed, giving her a pair of high-waisted black jeans. She accepted them and went to the bathroom to change. I decided to wear the same sweater but in beige and light blue ripped skinny jeans with white simple sneakers. I put my hair in a messy bun at the top of my head, and applied mascara. It's a bonfire, not a fashion runway.

"What do you think?" Aria asked shyly, coming out from the bathroom. Wow.

"f*****g perfect" I exclaimed. She looked beautiful with her high ponytail, light makeup and blue sneakers. She smiled in response. "It definitely looks better on you, keep it all." I said, putting my phone in the back pocket of my jeans.

She shook her head in disagreement. "They're too expensive, I can't accept it."

"You have no say in this, it's settled." I stated firmly. "Now, let's go, time for the party!" I took her hand and dragged her out. She whispered a shy thank you and we went to the party.

The bonfire was huge. People were sitting on the grass and wooden logs talking, laughing, some even openly making out. Wolves. No shame. I spotted Peter and Ben near the coolers with beverages, there were at least 20. I dragged Aria with me. There were four other well-built men with them, talking and drinking beers. Peter noticed me and smiled, enveloping me in a bone crushing hug and I hugged him back.

"You made it baby girl and you brought Aria with you." he said while smiling at Aria, I guess she was not very social. I answered with a nod.

"Hi Aria, you want something to drink?" Ben offered and she smiled, saying a coke would be fine. He went to the cooler and took out a coke and a beer.

"There you go, girls" he said, giving coke to Aria and beer to me.

"Thanks, that's exactly what I need." I winked at him and opened the bottle. Taking a few sips of the cold liquid, I sighed in contentment. They introduced me to the guys who turned out to be warriors. Paul had blond hair and blue eyes; Colin had black hair and gray eyes; Brian had auburn hair and green eyes; and Steven had a shaved head with brown eyes. They were all flirty but decent. Our group of eight sat down on the grass and talked about everything and nothing. It was nice.

"Oh no, the queen b***h is coming," Colin announced, looking behind me. I turned around and was shocked to see the stunning brunette from yesterday, wearing a very revealing red top and short black shorts showing all her curves with red stilettos, her hair put in a high ponytail and perfectly put on makeup. Everyone in our group groaned in annoyance, but all I saw was her fingers curled around my mate's bicep. Not wanting to see the rest, I turned my head back. All the guys, Aria included, had a disgusted look on their faces and started to whisper.

"I heard she finally convinced him to make her his Luna."

"It's arrangement between the packs."

"He's not that stupid!"

"They've got a past together. Both are mateless, there's nothing wrong with that."

"She'll be the worst Luna!"

"Spoiled brat, look what she's wearing, it's a bonfire."

"She doesn't like Blake." That came from Aria, and I snapped my head to look at her.

"What did you say?" I asked, wanting more information. She leaned her head forward in an attempt to whisper and we all did the same.

"She doesn't like Blake; she wants our Alpha but not his son. She said it's better to send him to start his training with another pack so they could be alone. Sometimes I saw her scolding him for little things and he cried. She even pushed him once!" she said quietly, making my blood boil.

I was enraged. If she touches him, I’ll kill her. My breathing became harsh, and they all noticed. I closed my eyes and asked, “Did she hit him?”

“I haven’t seen it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.” She answered, unaware of my feelings. My hands fisted, making my knuckles turn white and my killing mode kicked in. “I’ll f*****g kill her!” I whisper-yelled and started to stand up but Ben’s hand stopped me, shaking his head mouthing ‘NO’. I looked at him, anger evident in my eyes, my face red.

“Mandy calm down, she won’t do anything to him. Ethan will never allow it to happen.” Ben tried to pacify me.

“Baby girl, I know you’re angry but she’s an alpha’s daughter. This might cause problems for us if you hurt her!” Peter chimed in. The others looked at me confused.

“If she touches him, I will not hesitate to punch her. Do you agree with that?” I asked Ben and he nodded in agreement. That made me a little calmer, but a few moments later I smelled his scent mixed with something overly sweet. I groaned inwardly, knowing they were behind me.

“Oh, look at that. Aria you look nice with the fake Devon's clothes, but they suit you." an annoying and high-pitched voice scoffed. I knew it was her. Aria lowered her head, embarrassed and the voice continued, "Oh look babe your pathetic, desperate and definitely ugly fan from last night is here. Ohhh, he didn't want you sweetie, well I'm not surprised, you're not good enough." She insulted me and Aria and I was fed up. I stood up and faced her.

"Hello future Luna, I'm Amanda but you don't give a f**k about that, right?" I scoffed and heard gasps behind me but her shocked face was priceless.

"First lesson sweetie, as Luna you shouldn't behave like that, your pack is your family - you should take care of them not belittle them." I deadpanned, crossing my arms. "Second lesson, treat people with respect and they will respect you." She blinked at me. I guess no one ever talked to her this way. "And third lesson, don't f**k with me, I might be human, but I know how to punch." I said, the challenge evident in my words.

"Babe she offended me, punish her!" she turned to 'Almighty' almost crying, searching for his help but he only stood there, hands in his pockets, smiling proudly at my words.

"Ohhh do you need your babe to fight for you?" I put my hand on my chest in a dramatic gesture. "That's pathetic, what do you say babe?" I scoffed and turned my head to 'Almighty' with a fake pleading face. He just smirked at me and turned to the drama queen.

"Charlotte, this is my pack and my guest, if you can't behave, leave." I was shocked that he supported me. He sounded so serious, at least he sees that she's a b***h. She faked an apologetic face and turned to Aria, "I'm sorry Aria it was very low of me, will you forgive me?" she apologized, and Aria nodded in acceptance. God, give her an Oscar for her performance! But she didn't apologize to me.

"Can we join you guys?" she immediately changed her attitude, and they all nodded their heads. We sat down, making space for 'Almighty' and his b***h, I mean girlfriend.

Unfortunately, they decided to sit between me and Ben, so I was on the right side of my mate, our crossed knees almost touching.

"Let's play a game" Charlotte suggested after a few seconds of silence. We all agreed with nods or ok's.

"'Never have I ever' what do you think?" It was a little teenager game but what the hell, we all know the rules, so we simply agreed. Colin brought a bottle of tequila and ten shot glasses and filled them to the brim.

Charlotte started. "Never have I ever got punched." and we all took our shots. Wait for it Charlotte, wait for it…

"Never have I ever got arrested...disobeyed my alpha's command.... got stabbed...almost died...shouted at my boss...went to Bali.”

"Are you trying to make me drunk?" I asked them. Me and Peter did a lot of shots together and separately, but I think I only skipped one or two shots, Aria took only one.

"Ok, some of us are living their life, let's continue." it was Peter's turn.

"Never have I ever had a wet dream about my boss." he said, smirking mischievously at me but I didn't take my shot, making him surprised.

"Seriously, never?" he asked.

"Nope, sorry to disappoint you, babe!" I answered, laughing.

"But why, he is handsome although he's gay but still..." Charlotte asked, confused. Peter, Ben, and I all laughed. Everyone was looking at us, waiting for an explanation.

"Aren't you working together?" 'Almighty ' asked, confused.

"We do, according to the notice he's mine for the next three days," I laughed so hard I was crying.

"I don't understand, mine?" Charlotte said, looking between us.

"Oh, maybe I'll explain," Peter said, composing himself.

"Well, I'm an IT project manager and I present my team's projects to my boss asking for financial support and he gives it to our CIO for approval and that's Mandy." he said, pausing.

"So, she's your Boss's assistant!" Charlotte shouted out loud.

"No, she's the boss of my boss. She's the CIO actually." he said, irritated at her stupidity.

"What?" they all exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh Goddess, Mandy. I'm sorry!" Peter said apologetically. We had agreed to keep it a secret that I'm his boss but what the hell.

"You are his boss?" Aria asked, shocked. 'Almighty' looked at me with pride but hid it immediately. I just nodded.

"Wow, a sexy little thing turned out to be a boss, how exciting." Brian said, winking at me. "Maybe you can boss me around in the bedroom." he said sexily but I only rolled my eyes in annoyance and 'Almighty' growled in anger. Peter immediately saw my pleading eyes to change the subject and we continued our game.

"Got slapped...ran away pregnant...sold myselfformoney...been raped..." Through all of them I didn't pick up my shot because I didn't do it, but Charlotte's last statement made me hesitant. Drink it or not? It is my darkest secret. f**k it, he'll never pick me so let's cut this short. I took the shot and drank it, then stood, leaving all of them stunned. 'Almighty' sat there frozen so I simply said, "Thank you for tonight, see you guys later," I waved and went home.

No one wants to talk about being raped.