“What about Greer?”
Hidden from my sight I heard Aurelia whisper my name. I was on my way back to the packhouse, I was stopped from calling out, when I heard my best friend whisper in return. “What about her?”
I knew I shouldn’t be eavesdropping but I didn’t understand what they could be talking about and and why they would meet in secret.
“But Jacob what if she is your mate, what if you want her?” Aurelia whispered her voice watery.
“Shh, you know it’s you I love you. You will my luna love. Together we will run the pack when your father is ready.” Jacob’s soft voice floated over the treetops as I stood frozen in place. I could hear my heartbeat rushing to my ears as the words replayed in my head.
Now hearing moaning sounds, I forced myself to look through the leaves that separated us. My brain refusing the acknowledge the sight of my sister on her back, her pretty pink dress pushed up over her hips as my best friend and supposed mate to be, pumped into her over and over again. I tasted blood and realised I had bitten my lip in my attempt to stay silent, but the sting of pain was nothing to the sting of betrayal before my eyes.
A burning rage started to fill my body as I caught sight of a single rose lying on the ground.
Two weeks earlier.
“It’s so peaceful I could sleep here.” I signed happy lying in the soft grass.
“I could sleep anywhere you are beautiful.” Jacob winked reaching up, he broke of a single rose and handed me the stem.
“Almost as beautiful as you my love.” His hand clasping onto mine as I took it from him, pulling me into sitting position, my lips merely inches from his.
“Kiss me Greer.”
I stared into his baby blue eyes, I could see the love in his eyes turn to lust as he pulled me closer.
“Jacob, we can’t.” I placed my hands on his chest, trying to place some distance between us.
“We will be mates soon Greer, let’s not pretend we’re just friends anymore.” I wanted to kiss him, I really did but something was stopping me.
“We can’t a Jacob, what if you aren’t my mate. You know Aurelia likes you too, she would never forgive me if she found us together.”
“I’d choose you anyway Greer, you know you are the rightful luna. This should be YOUR pack.”
I smiled at my ever faithful friend. “I know, but we have waited this long, what’s a few more weeks. Come on it’s getting late, I better not get in trouble again this week.”
I pecked him on the cheek and he reluctantly got to his feet.
“Don’t be surly Jacob, it doesn’t suit you! I promise I’ll be worth the wait!.” I winked and ran of knowing he would be after me in a flash.
Rage multiplied as the memory replayed in my head as I saw the same f***** rose on the floor. My two best friends betraying me in a way I never would.
“Greer??? Why are you ignoring me ? I told you to come back to the packhouse. Get here NOW.”
My uncle must be mad as he rarely shouted at me. Turning my attention away from the traitorous lovers I ran all the way back to the packhouse.
“He wasn’t good enough for you anyway.” My wolf piped up.
“Rubbish, you liked him too, you never objected to being his mate.” I argued, I could feel she was as angry as me.
“His loss Greer. We must be meant for better.”
This I couldn’t agree with, what was better than leading my Dad’s. Ever since his death a few years ago, all I could dream about was how I could avenge him once I became luna.
As the former alpha’s only child I hadn’t been old enough to inherit, even if they would have allowed a female alpha. But as my uncle the current alpha also only had a daughter, the beta’s son Jacob had been nominated heir, on the condition one of us were his mate, chosen or fated.
Aurelia, Jacob and I had grown up together. As my mother had died during childbirth, Aurelia’s mother had raised me as her own. Aurelia and I grew up like sisters, even though we were technically cousins. No one could tell we looked similar enough. Both with long blonde hair, the only difference was our eyes. Hers where a normal brown colour, while mine were an unusual golden colour. My father told me I had my mother’s eyes but rarely anyone spoke of her and there were so few photos of her I couldn’t tell to be honest.
As I was the elder of the two of us, it was just always expected I would be Jacob’s mate. Sadness welled inside me as I remembered all the discussions about what changes we would make, how we would rule together as a team.
Too late my stupid heart realised he was playing us both, we were too blind to see it. I couldn’t quite believe that Aurelia would give herself to him, the hopeless romantic had always spoken greatly about the magic of the mate bond, and how exited she was to meet the one chosen for her.
This pack was my birthright, I would have happily accepted Jacob as a chosen mate if it meant keeping that. The fact that I loved him was an added bonus and if we had turned out to be fated mates, that would have been perfect.
Now my dream was shattered. My footsteps became heavy as I answered my uncle’s summons, despair flooding my veins as I sought to bury the betrayal and work out where I went from here. I was clearly in trouble again, and his luna would take great delight in deciding my punishment this time.
I didn’t understand why luna Sharon hated me so much. She had been my fathers chosen luna, but after uncle Justin lost his mate in the attack that killed my father, she managed to get to her claws into Justin too. He chose her as his next mate and she remained luna.
Annoyingly the council changed the rules in chosen lunas after this time as she would never have qualified. I didn’t know what my dad saw in her. She was a useless luna and a horrible person. I could at least understand her jealously of me, as a child I had been demanding of my fathers attention. With my apparent resemblance to my mother I could at least understand her hatred. But one she effectively went from stepmother to my aunt, it didn’t change. What hurt more was she adored Aurelia in comparison.
No matter what I did better, it was never good enough. If I hadn’t been so competitive I could have stopped trying to impress them. But I couldn’t, I liked being the best. However it didn’t matter, Aurelia was the golden child. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes that I wasn’t never good enough, no matter how hard I tired. I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. Any sign of weakness from me would be punished as well.
When I finally arrived back at the packhouse I was surprised to see my uncle alone in his office, a stack of official looking paperwork in front of him, with a painful look on his face.
My heart fell further at the look on his face as he saw me enter.