Nameless, under the moonlight

Denied

*Cali POV*

I open my eyes to a dimmed room. My eyes scan the surrounding only to find Doctor Grey, Marcus and Leroy staring curiously at me.

I momentarily close my eyes shut, trying to recall what happened that could bring them to my bedroom and stare at me like this.

Leroy suddenly shift into Sky who runs to me and starts licking my face and neck.

I run my hands through his fluffy fur before everything that happened comes crashing back to me.

My heart aches terribly when images of Leroy and his mate play out in my head. I can feel my chest closing in and try to take measured quick breaths. That helps to calm me momentarily until I pay attention to what Sky is doing. The she-wolf bit me. She took off a chunk of my neck before I passed out. I instinctively touch my neck and frown. Could I have been dreaming? It felt so real. If I was dreaming then why is doctor Grey here?

I look at the doctor hoping she will say something but she only shrugs her shoulders and smiles at me.

“A rogue bit me,” I say to no one in particular but hoping she or Marcus have an explanation.

“You were probably dreaming. You did have a concussion,” Marcus responds before turning to doctor Grey who nods her head in agreement.

I touch my neck again and feel nothing. The bruises I remember having on my arms are not there either. I must have been dreaming then. Still, it felt so real.

“I will be on my way now,” doctor Grey announces. I jump out of the bed to stop her and tag on her sleeve.

“I want to go with you.”

She stops and exchanges looks with Marcus before looking at me.

“Please,” I plead. I don’t know her well but I am desperate.

“Cali?” Marcus questions with a hurt tone while Leroy shift back into his human form.

“I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

I don’t know why but something is just not right with me. Leroy and Marcus have been very good to me. I should be happy with them for finding their mates. That is big in the wolf community. There will be parties and celebrations that I am already dreading. I feel sick with myself for not being in the mood to celebrate with them. I need to be away from here then maybe I can come to terms with everything and be happy for them.

Marcus holds my arm and looks tenderly at me. “Look, I know that Leroy and I meeting our mates left you with a lot of questions and uncertainty. I assure you that nothing has changed.”

He says that because of the person he is but as kind and gentle he is, he can never really assure me. Once his mate is around, his wolf will do whatever is necessary to protect and make their mate is happy. That is how the bond works. I don’t want to stick around only to be kicked out.

“I am grateful for everything you have done for me. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to…”

“Too bad, you are staying and don’t you dare try to run or hurt yourself,”Leroy says sternly. I turn to look at him and find him glaring at me.

“Hurt myself? Do you think I tried to hurt myself?”

I don’t understand why he is mad and even suggesting that I might hurt myself. I am disappointed but not suicidal.

“You should have come straight home. Even if you wanted to go for a swim, you should have been back way before the sun set. Why didn’t you?” he asks, his eyes blazing.

“Just leave,” I hiss at him and he completely loses it.

“You don’t get to dismiss me!”

“What do I get to do then, Your Majesty? I can’t leave because you won’t let me. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you. Tell me what I get to do?” I yell in frustration. Bad move.

He turns his head to the side as if to look at me clearly. His expression is a mixture of shock, anger and something deadly. I can hear Sky growl inside him. He is very loud and clear. I have never heard him this clearly before. He sounds pissed. It’s a complete change from earlier when I woke up. I am not his mate, he will not be tolerant of any disrespect. I should be terrified but I am too mad to care.

“Leave us,” Leroy instructs his friends who exchange nervous looks.

“Leroy…,”Marcus tries to speak but Leroy is livid.

“I said leave us,” he grits his teeth, sending both Marcus and doctor Grey running outside.

“Do not scream at him!” I yell at Leroy and hear Sky growl loudly. I hate it when he speaks to Marcus like that because of me.

Leroy shakes his head in disbelief before roughly grabbing my arm and pulling me to him. I try to push him away but he wraps his arms tight around my waist.

“You are mad at me. I am here. Scream at me. Hit me. Do whatever you want, but you are not going anywhere.”

“You sure about that?” I ask, glaring at him. He has a mate for heaven’s sake! Does he know how much that hurts? How much this, him embracing me like this, hurts?

He raises his eyebrows before narrowing his eyes.

“What do you think your mate will think when she finds out you spent nights here and you are refusing to let me go?” I ask. Blackmailing the future Alpha is never a good idea. I am hoping Sky takes my threat serious and forces him to let me go with doctor Grey.

He freezes for a moment. He really cares about his mate. I should not be surprised, it’s natural and he can’t help it but it really hurts.

I see his lips thinning and his jaw clenching. He is probably suppressing his wolf. It is irrational on my part but I feel betrayed. I thought his wolf liked me, I was wrong.

“Exactly! I am going with doctor Grey,”I announce and push him away. He loosens his arms around me, allowing me to keep a distance between us.

“You think threatening me will work?” he asks sharply, clearly not impressed.

I shrug my shoulders and head towards the door but his next words stop me on my tracks.

“Sky does not want you to go.”

“Tell Sky to focus on his mate,” I say softly without turning to look at him. It’s a hurtful utterance but I can’t take this. Why the hell does he and his wolf want me around for when I am not their mate?

“Why are you punishing us for something we had no control over?” his hurt voice breaks my heart. He has been really kind to me. I can’t help but feel guilty for making him feel like this when he should be celebrating.

I sigh and turn to face him.

“I am not. I just don’t want…”

“Go ahead and call Phoebe,” he interjects and starts undressing.

“What are you doing?”

“Sleeping. What does it look like?” he snaps while I frantically shake my head.

“I don’t need a sleeping partner anymore.”

“Too bad, I am still staying,” he says dismissively while getting in the bed. That’s when I lose it.

“What do you want from me Leroy?”

“I want you to work with me here and stop acting like a spoiled brat!” he shouts as if I am being impossible.

I stomp my feet towards the bed, grab my pillow and head to the couch where I put the pillow and lay down. He can stay if he wants but I am done sharing a bed with him.

“Come back to bed this moment.”

His irritated Alpha voice commands and I can’t disobey. No wolf can disobey their Alpha when using the Alpha voice. I quickly grab my pillow and run back to the bed.

He opens the blankets for me.

“Good. Get in,” he says with the same voice. There is nothing I can do but comply and slip into the blankets besides him. I make sure to face away and sleep as far away from him as possible, but he is still not satisfied.

“My arms. Where you always sleep,” he continues to order me. I move back closer to him, turn around and rest my head on his chest. I never noticed it before but our sleeping arrangement was never normal.

My ears are immediately filled with the sound of his pounding heart. I have slept with him like this for months before but this is the first. We lay in complete silence until I hear his heart slowing down and his breathing becoming shallow. He is fast asleep but I am fuming. I don’t think I will sleep tonight. He has a mate but still wants me in his arms like I am his stuffed toy.