The Reluctant Luna

Rejecting who?

*Abbi*

I still don't know how I went from looking into Liam's eyes to flying like a bat out of hell through the woods.

My eyes were locked on Liam's as he began reciting the sweetest words, the vows he had written just for me, just for today. Until he was interrupted by the earth literally trembling beneath our feet.

I felt that growl before it registered in my ears and I just knew, that life as I knew it, would never be the same. I looked up and saw the most handsome and sexiest man to ever grace this earth. He was like nothing I've ever seen before.

He was frantically trying to cut across the guests in the seats next to him and I briefly wondered what the problem was. Then he turned and came flying up the red carpet towards where I stood and I temporarily lost all semblance of a thought. I lost myself in his eyes for a second and then raised my arm instinctively when it seemed like he was going to keep moving and barrel right through me. Before I could even process what was happening, or try to react, he had reached me and I was being thrown over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then he turned, and ran, heading for the trees.

I felt like I was in shock and my mind just couldn't process what was going on around me. That was until I heard Liam's voice in the woods, followed by the sound of a vicious punch and Liam hitting the ground.

The sound had echoed through the woods and I knew Liam was hurt. That set me off. sending anger flooding through my body. I start hitting him, but I might as well have been hitting a brick wall, for all the good it did me.

I'm one of the strongest fighters in my pack but the back I was hitting felt like it was made of steal.

After a few minutes, I had no choice but to stop and hold on, as we were moving at what felt like an insane rate of speed. The ground nothing more then a passing blur. When he slowed down again, I resumed my assault, but once again it did nothing to help me.

Thankfully, we finally came to a stop and he walked into a house of some sort.

I waited till he put me on the couch, and then I tucked and rolled onto my side, jumping off the couch in one quick motion. I ran for the door as fast as I could.

I grabbed the door knob and twisted, trying to get the door open. Only to feel his arms around me and his hands on mine a split second later.

Damn, he's fast! I thought, gasping as I felt the sparks shooting where his hands touched mine. The dreaded mate sparks.

"Where do you think your going, my little mate?" he whispered, his breath hitting my ear. He wedged his foot up against the door so I couldn't pry it open and then moved his finger tips across my hands and started trailing them up my arms. The sparks were intense, raising goosebumps from my head to my toes.

"I'm not your little any damn thing." I said, shuddering. I turned, and launched myself sideways, out of his arms and away from him.

I open my mouth and say the first thing that comes to mind. The one thing that I claimed I would say when I met my mate.

"I, Abbigail Leigh Ann Dash, Future Alpha of the Rippled...."

He came closer, making a motion as if he was going to cover my mouth. "....Moon Pack, reject you...." I had almost gotten the words out when I had to stop. He hesitated too, slowly realizing my dilemma.

I don't know his name!

I can't reject my mate when I don't even know his name!!

His eyes had widened previously and now I can see them beginning to sparkle with humor.

Apparently he finds this to be a lot more amusing then I do.

"Tell me your name!" I yell, stomping my foot, "So we can get this done and over with!" I don't have time for this foolery.

"Well...." He said, dragging his words out and chuckling "Some people call me Jay."

He's enjoying himself a little too much for me. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"Look." I said, "I just want to get back to my mate. So just tell me your name so I can do what needs to be done, and we can both go back to our own lives. It'll be like nothing ever happened."

All humor vanished from his face as he gave a slight growl.

"That warlock is NOT your mate!" he yelled, crossing his arms, "I am your mate! And your not rejecting me when you haven't even given me a chance!"

I let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding, "I don't want to give you a chance. I love Liam and that's who I want to be with! I don't want a fated mate and I have no plans to be a slave to the mate bond!"

He narrows his eyes at me and c***s his head to the side, studying me.

I assume he's trying to think of how he wants to respond. I c**k my head to the side as well and look him up and down, with my arms still crossed.

My intention was to be a smart ass, but my breath slowly catches in my throat as I eye him up.

He really is sexy as hell. Dark Brown hair, short and curly. One of those dark curls is hanging in his eyes right now. It made me want to run my hands through it. His dark blue eyes are looking at me intently. It seems as though they change colors, depending on his mood. They were a lighter, brighter shade when he was silently laughing at me a few minutes ago. Now they were as dark and serious as he was in this moment. He has a small, thin nose set above thick, juicy lips. His nose and his mouth offset each other nicely. And Goddess knows, I love thick lips on a man.

I can't stop myself from looking at his lips again and my mind begins to wonder. How would those sexy lips feel against mine? I have to fight the sudden intense urge to kiss him, to suck those lips into my mouth, to bite on them.

I suck in a shaky breath and I hear him do the same, causing my eyes to snap back to his. He's looking at me now, with a knowing look in his eyes. I can feel a blush moving up my face.

He knew what I was thinking about! He smiles at me!

yea, he definitely knows!

"You like what you see??" he mutters, taking a few steps towards me.

I move back just as quickly, ensuring that the same distance remains between us.

"Not at all!" I state, my voice coming out low and breathless instead of the calm and confident persona I was aiming for.

Damn mate bond! I want nothing to do with it or this man! Yet here I am, already lusting after a man I don't even know. I need to cut this short and get back to Liam! Before the mate bond causes me to do something stupid.

*James*

She tried to reject me! Reject me!!!

I had started to panic when she began to say that horrible sentence. That panic was followed by a flood of relief when I realized she couldn't go through with the rejection yet. YET!

Somehow, I have to get her passed the apparent dislike she has for the mate bond! And make her realize that I'm the one for her, not that Warlock! The Moon Goddess made me just for her. And we all know that our dear Moon Mother makes no mistakes. I have to make her understand that before she does something that can't be taken back. All before she learns my full name. I have to think of a way to keep her away from her packhouse and her family until I know she won't reject me. But how?? How am I going to do that??

I look at her, momentarily forgetting about everything, as I take her beauty in. She really is the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. She was made for me! The Warlock can go find his own mate. Mine is no longer up for offer.

Thank the Goddess I went to that wedding today! My mother's insistence on dragging me to all of these events finally paid off. If I wouldn't have been there, my mate would have married another man today!!! Another man would have mated with MY mate tonight. And I wouldn't have known anything about it.

I hear her suck in a small, shaky breath and at the same time, I release one myself. I look at her and study the look in her beautiful green eyes.....

LUST!

Her eyes are shining with lust! My beautiful little mate isn't as immune to me as she would like me to believe. I can't stop the grin that spreads across my face.

"You like what you see?" I say, tauntingly. I take a few steps towards her but she backs up quickly, trying to keep the same distance between us.

"Not at all" she insists, but her breathless voice and the blush spreading across her face tells a different story.

I approach her quickly, sweeping her up into my arms. She tries to push against me but stops moving when I look down into her eyes. She stares back up at me, her eyes wide and her tongue circling her pouty lips. That was my undoing. That tiny pink tongue. Those shiny lips.

I lean my head down and kiss her. She makes another attempt to pull back, but I lift my hand up, wrapping it in her hair and holding her head still.

My lips touch hers and it's like the world comes to a standstill. It's the most amazing feeling I've ever felt. The tingles. The sparks. She opens her mouth and I slip my tongue inside. Her warm mouth is like heaven and I kiss her until I'm literally forced to come up for air, my lungs ready to explode. I pull back and look at my beautiful mate again. She keeps her eyes closed and her face tilted up towards mine.

I look at her beautiful puffy lips and then lean down to kiss her again...