The Lost Pack's Luna

CHAPTER 5 Are You Ready?

　　Elara POV

　　My eyes scan the crowd. Every pair of dark eyes is on me. They are waiting for me to react. Everyone saw Kevin walk in with me. I can only assume they all knew we were together. Now, he is making out with the Beta's daughter in front of everyone. His lips are on her neck, and blood is running down her skin.

　　Of course, his mate would be Emery. I hate Emery. Growing up, I always thought we were friends, but then I realized she was only pretending to be my friend to get closer to the triplets. Now, she is taking the one thing from me that I didn't get from being their adopted sister.

　　I don't notice the tears that are falling down my cheeks as I walk toward them. Tapping Kevin on the shoulder, I wait for him to turn around. He pulls away from Emery and looks over his shoulder at me. Her blood has stained his lips from where he marked her. My arms are crossed over my chest, and I am glaring at them both.

　　"Elara," Kevin whispers. "My love. This is…"

　　"Save it," I snap at him. Rearing back my fist, I punch Kevin in the nose and he falls back.

　　Emery shrieks and tries to come to his aid, but I punch her, too. The triplets taught me at a young age how to throw a punch, but I never thought I would actually have to do it. My knuckles sting more than I thought they would, but overall, I feel good. In fact, I feel great.

　　I turn around to the crowd and throw my arms up in the air. "I guess the party is over, folks," I shout.

　　Kevin tries to grab me by the hand as I stomp up the stairs to my room, but my father guides him from the pack house by his neck. Emery glances at me one final time, and her eyes are no longer dark. They are slowly turning a bright shade of purple.

　　I hear commotion on the front porch, and I assume my father is killing Kevin. Or at least a girl can dream. I slam the door to my bedroom and lock it. Then I flop on my bed and wonder how I got here in the first place.

　　I should be crying. I should be sobbing my eyes out because the love of my life is mated to someone else, but I am not. I am angry at myself for giving myself to someone like him. I was so naïve. I let myself be fooled by the first guy with pretty eyes that gave me attention.

　　I feel gross and tainted. Luckily, it was only one time. Maybe no one has to know.

　　Rolling over into my pillow, I scream as loud as I can, and I kick my hands and feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum. When I am finished, I hear my mother knocking on my door.

　　"Elara, Honey," she calls out. "Are you okay?"

　　"I am fine, Mom," I shout back. "I just want to get some sleep. It has been a weird night."

　　"Okay, Sweetheart," she yells back, but I can hear the hesitation in her voice. She is going to send up the triplets. That is always what she does when I won't talk to her.

　　I sit on the edge of my bed and wait for them to come, but they don't. I peek out of my window and see all the guests leaving from the pack house. Several of them strip down and shift into their wolves, while others pile in cars to leave.

　　Growing tired of waiting on the triplets, I decide to take a shower. I flip the lock on my door so they can let themselves in.

　　Stripping off my clothes, I leave them in a pile in the middle of my bathroom floor and step into the shower. The water is cold, but it is comforting. It is as if it reminds me of something but I can't remember what that is.

　　Standing under the water, I wash all memories of Kevin from my body, and I vow to never let another man touch me again. Without having a wolf to tell me who my fated mate is, I refuse to put myself through the heartache of being rejected again. It's not like s*x was that fun anyway.

　　The memory of Kevin grunting on top of me while he pushed his way inside flashes in my mind. It was uncomfortable, and it hurt. Halfway through, I found myself staring at the ceiling, wondering when it was going to be over. I thought about my classes and assignments that were due. By the time he was finished, I was covered in his sweat, and I couldn't wait for him to climb off me. I rushed to the shower and scrubbed my body clean.

　　Now, it feels like I am doing the same thing. I scrub my skin until it is pink, trying to get his scent off my body.

　　Once I am finished, I get out of the shower and wrap a towel around my body and another around my hair. I peek out my bedroom door, but the triplets are still not there. There is a pang of disappointment in my chest, but I try not to pay attention to it. They are grown now. Maybe they don't have time to coddle me like they used to.

　　Stepping into my closet, I wrinkle my nose. Dad never brought in my suitcase, and all of these clothes are at least a size or two too small. I managed to finally fill out while I was away at college. To call me a late bloomer is an understatement.

　　I dig through my dressers, looking for something that will fit over my chest. Eventually, I find a tank top and a pair of shorts. Nothing else will fit. Knowing I can't traipse through the pack house in basically underwear, I pull my robe over my shoulders and tie it shut.

　　The hallways of the pack house are quiet as I go in search of Dad to get the keys to his car. My parents' bedroom door is cracked open, and I peek my head inside, but they aren't there. Making my way down the hall, I look in the triplets room, but they aren't there either.

　　I tiptoe down the stairs, avoiding the ones that I know creak under my weight. The downstairs of the pack house is dark. The aftermath of the party has been cleaned, and it was like it never happened.

　　Running my fingers along the wall, I make my way to my father's office. I can see the light from under the door, but I pause before entering. It would appear my family is in there having an argument. An argument about me.

　　"You don't understand what you are asking of her," Zane shouts. "She isn't ready for this."

　　"You don't know what she is ready for," my father says sternly. "She is no longer a child. She is a young woman."

　　"You can say that again," Zeus grumbles.

　　There is a long pause, and I am tempted to knock, but my mother's voice stops me. "It is her destiny," she says with certainty. "It is why she is here. It has always been the reason she is here."

　　"How long have you known?" Zeke demands to know. "How long have you been keeping her in the dark?"

　　"That doesn't matter," my father growls. "Wheels have been set in motion. She will have to choose her fate."

　　My curiosity gets the better of me, and I push the door open. All of them turn to me with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" I ask.

　　My mother steps forward and takes my hands. "Are you ready to be more than just an Omega?"