His Powerful Human Luna (Book 1)

Chapter 5: I Woke Up Like This

*** SYMONE'S POV***

Five days passed after Roman rejected me. Since that day, the dreams have stopped. I didn't have any dreams that week unless you count the daydream about seeing him buckle over in pain when I would accept his rejection. I was still fuming about this whole thing. Although, if I was being honest with myself, I was mostly upset that he could make me crumble so easily. I was embarrassed and hurt. Luckily, the stabbing pain in my stomach and chest had stopped.

"I guess he hasn't f****d anyone this week," I said aloud as I dressed for the first time in five days. The pain of the rejection and the pain of feeling him screwing someone was excruciating. I felt like I was going to die. I think I might have if I wasn't as strong as I am.

I came to the city to help an old family friend, Alpha Cesar. But I wasn't even able to meet with him. I had one day to hang out with my friends Angela and Darla, but I was supposed to head to Cesar's pack the following day. Instead, I had been bedbound in the hotel, crying and wailing over a man I didn't even know. I looked at my face in the bathroom mirror, examining the damage of all the pain I had endured.

"Ugh!" I exclaimed to my reflection. I was disgusted at how bad I looked. My usual caramel brown skin was dull, my eyes were bloodshot red, and my curly tresses were a total tangled mess. I began my regular beauty routine when I heard a knock at the door. I looked out the peephole to see nothing but bright blonde hair. Darla. I opened the door to her smiling face.

"Hi, honey! How are you feeling? I come bearing gifts!" She wiggled past me with four shopping bags and a cup holder with what smelled like coffee. "I brought you breakfast and your favorite Madagascar vanilla cream latte." She handed me one of the cups and a bag. I smiled as she followed me to the small table near the kitchenette. I hadn't eaten much in the last week, mostly because I couldn't keep anything down. That rejection did a number on me. But I was beginning to feel better- physically, anyway. I didn't realize my hunger until I smelled the coffee and food.

"I didn't know what you wanted or if you could keep anything down, so I got a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant and a selection of muffins." I pulled everything out of the bag and looked it over.

"I haven't eaten in a few days, so I should take it easy and have one of these muffins. Thanks." She grinned as I chose the blueberry streusel muffin. I took a small sip of my latte and a bite of the muffin.

"So, how are you?" she asked as she rubbed the back of my hand.

"I'm alright. This whole thing has been a lot to process, but I'm still alive, so there's that." My first joke in a week. I was feeling more like myself. Darla gave me a half smile.

"You don't have to be brave all the time, you know? It's okay to be vulnerable someti-"

"No, it's not," I cut her off. "Being vulnerable leaves one exposed to pain and suffering. I can't let what he did to me happen again. Ever." Darla is not a wolf, but she is mated to one. She told me a few days before her arrival. But Darla hesitated to tell me. She didn't want to hurt my feelings since her werewolf mate accepted her, and mine didn't. But I am happy for her. Darla is a sweet girl and deserves to be happy.

"Symone," she began softly, "Alpha Roman is a nice guy. And before you rip my head off, please hear me out".

Nice guy? How could she say that? I almost died because he decided a human wasn't good enough for him. Then, without feeling any remorse for what he had done, he had s*x with someone knowing I would be able to feel it. Nice guy? My ass!

"My mate, Bobby, is from his pack. Alpha Roman gave us his blessings when Bobby found me. He helped us find a nice apartment away from the pack and even gave Bobby a job in one of the businesses he runs in the city." I rolled my eyes.

"HELLOOOO! He also almost killed me!"

"I completely understand why you're angry. I can't imagine the pain he put you through. But he is a good man. He only does what he thinks is right for our pack." I sipped the coffee and then turned to her.

"So tell me something," I began, "Do you believe you made your mate weaker by being his mate?" I was trying not to be angry with her. It wasn't her I was mad at. But I needed to understand her view of this man.

"I don't know. Sometimes I do. But Bobby isn't an alpha. I don't know what the differences would be if he were. All I know is that Bobby loves me, and I love him. We take care of each other. He has never said that he feels weaker with me as his mate.

He has told me he feels stronger since he found me. I don't think you would weaken the alpha, but he seems to think so. That's why he did it. As alpha, he has to be at his strongest. He is responsible for thousands of other people. So while you may not make him weaker, he doesn't know. All he knows is what he was trained to know."

I stood up abruptly, placing the coffee on the table. "Exactly my point, Darla. All we can know is what we were trained to know. I was trained never to be weak. He exposed me, and now I am vulnerable because of him. I have to fix this." I took one more sip of my latte before returning to the bathroom to finish getting ready to leave.

"What are you going to do, Symone? And what do you mean you were trained never to be weak? What are you talking about?" Darla followed me into the bathroom. I hadn't told Angela or Darla why I was back in town, and neither knew what I did for a living. As far as they knew, I was in the army.

I met them ten years ago. We went to school together for a while, but I kept moving around, so I only got to stay with them briefly. But we got so close that we never lost touch. I didn't tell them the truth because I was trying to protect them. My line of work meant that I had quite a few enemies, so the fewer people who knew what I did for a living, the better. They had their lives to live, and they didn't need to be involved in mine. Mine was always a bit messy and, a lot of times, dangerous.

"Darla, I meant nothing by it. Just drop it, please." I said as I brushed through my kinky curls and pulled them back into a ponytail.

"You aren't gonna do something stupid, are you?" She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at me. I turned to her with a crooked smile.

"Well, you know me."

"That's what I mean," she scoffed.

"Look, Angela told me that if I accept his rejection, I will be free from the bond by the next full moon. That is two weeks from today. So, I'm going to accept his rejection and wait it out. That's it." I said, putting my hands up with an innocent expression. Her brow furrowed again, and I did the silly "cross my heart" thing we all did as kids. She giggled and opened her arms for a hug.

"Alright then, let me help you make him regret ever rejecting you." Darla winked and pulled me out of the bathroom by my arm.

"Oh crap, what are you about to do?" She gently shoved me down into a chair and then rubbed her hands together menacingly.

"We're going to make you look extra fuckable. You're beautiful, but," Darla hesitated. "You just kinda look like death right now."

I laughed heartily. "Yeah, no s**t. I feel like it too."

"Well, mama's gonna make you glow, girl!" Darla pulled out some makeup from one of the bags she had brought. I had just realized it was from Sephora. Otherwise, I would have known what she had planned for me beforehand.

"Oh boy," I sighed. "Please, not too much makeup, okay? I don't usually wear much makeup or any at all. I had always struggled to apply it, so I kept it simple to avoid looking like a clown.

"Don't worry. I know what looks good on you!" She showed me a large pallet with lots of colors on it. I squint my eyes. "I also got a couple of different foundation shades to make sure we got your color. You've got great skin, but we totally gotta hide those puffy purple bags under your eyes."

She was too excited to use me as a test dummy for all her new makeup. Darla is a professional makeup artist, and I trusted her to make me look good, but she could be a little over the top sometimes. "Please keep it light and simple, Darla. I am going there to reject him, not take him to a club."

"Yes, but there is nothing wrong with making him regret it, right?" she beamed.

After about fifteen minutes of her applying the makeup, Darla let me out of the chair to check it out in the mirror. I was impressed. Darla wears a lot of colorful, bold makeup daily. I was afraid of her trying to make me look like her, but she made me look like the healthier version of myself with a little extra something.

Darla held the three foundation colors to my face and matched my skin tone on the first try. She added a shimmery copper, dark chocolate brown, and light chocolate brown smokey eye with a touch of eyeliner and mascara that made my eyes pop. She pulled the look together with a beautiful deep red matte lip stain that was absolutely my style.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" I felt like myself for the first time in almost a week.

"You are beautiful, girl," she gushed as she draped her arm over my shoulder. We smiled at each other, and I walked out of the bathroom to put on my shoes.

"Umm, whatcha doin'?" Darla had one of those sneaky looks on her face, and instantly I was suspicious.

"Putting on my shoes. Why?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Well, your face looks amazing but don't you think you need an outfit to match?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

"Darla, I am about to reject a stranger. It's not a date."

"No, it's not a date. But we are trying to make Roman pay for rejecting you, right?"

"That was your idea, but okay," I replied calmly. Knowing Darla wasn't going to drop it, I caved to her. "Okay, I give. What did you have in mind? I'm kicking you out of here right now if it's anything you wear." Darla laughed and grabbed the other two bags she had brought in.

"No, no. I would never dress you like me. You couldn't pull it off anyway," Darla joked, cheesing at me. "I know your style, Symone. Sexy yet grungy."

"Grungy? You think I dress grungy?" She pulled a few items from each bag and laid them on the bed. The clothes weren't that bad. They were a little lighter than I usually go for, but overall they were nice. She almost nailed my style, aside from the floral shirt. I picked up the bright shirt and gave her a confused look. Darla shrugged.

"I was trying something new." I shook my head and threw the shirt back onto the bed before choosing an outfit. I headed back to the bathroom to change. I admit I felt much better in the new clothes than in the sweats I was wearing. I stood in the mirror, looking at myself. I had chosen the ripped light blue skinny jeans and a v-cut deep sapphire blue spaghetti strap tank top with lace at the top. Simple, but it looked much better than my previous attire.

I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed my black knee-high wedge boots, and put my sneakers away.

"Booty booty booty booty rockin' everywhere!" Darla stared at me, grinning. I laughed.

"Girl, stop it."

"But your ass looks amazing in those jeans. If I had a butt like that, I'd probably walk around in my panties to show it off." She slapped my butt with both hands and cheered. "Go get 'em, girl!"

I shook my head, snickering at my eccentric friend. I grabbed my keys and sunglasses, then we both headed out the door. When we got outside to our cars, I stopped Darla from getting into hers.

"Thank you for your help. I do feel more like myself today." I held her hands and smiled at her. She wrapped me up in a big hug and squeezed.

"That's what I'm here for, babe! I'm just sorry you have to go through all of this. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"No, thanks. I'll be fine." I gave her a small smile, and we kissed on the cheeks before I went to my SUV.

"Call me later!" she yelled as she pulled away. I nodded and started my engine. I paused briefly, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Well, it's now or never," I thought aloud. I entered the address given to me by Angela into my GPS and took off in the direction of the Black River pack.