The Orphaned Luna

Chapter 6

Rex's POV

As soon as Donovan returned, I could smell her on him. My wolf, Apollo, was going crazy and wanted to rip him apart for smelling like our mate. I had to remind him over and over that it was his cousin and Donvan didn't want her in that way. After a while, he finally calmed down.

Finishing my beer and after hearing everything Donovan had to say about the events of the night, I got up and started heading to my room to take a cold shower and to get away from her scent.

Apollo wanted to go right then to claim her and find the guy on the beach that tried to take advantage of her. But I needed him to calm down. I needed her to come to me.

That's why I suggested she come this weekend. I need her to know she is mine, and to dump that human boyfriend of hers.

Before I even made it to the stairs, I could feel Apollo getting angry and disgusted with me. Just as I went to ask him what was wrong, I smelled Tracie and Stacie approaching. The pack whores.

I should never have gotten involved with them. I knew better, but having not found my mate four years after turning eighteen, I didn't think I'd ever find her. Now, I wish I would have saved myself for her.

Finding out it's been Zadie all this time, I hate myself for ever being with anyone else.

"What the h**l, Rex?" I hear them both protest as I turn to walk away from them, but I don't care. I don't want them near me.

"We're done," I growl, dodging them as they both tried to catch up with me to link their arms in mine. Turning towards them and giving them the most fearsome look I could that put terror in anyone's eyes, they retracted and stopped in their tracks.

Getting the hint, they turned in the other direction and finally left me alone, for tonight at least. Unfortunately, I don't think I've seen the last of them. They don't give up easily. They think they should be my chosen mates and Lunas of the pack, but they are sorely mistaken.

They were only someone to f**k when I needed to release some tension. Nothing more and they never would be. Even before finding out I had a mate, I told them they would never be more than someone to warm my bed when needed. They just couldn't get that through their thick skulls.

Friday seemed to be the longest day of my life. Zadie will be here tonight, and I can't wait. Apollo was giddy with excitement about finally meeting his mate and I couldn't wait to finally see her again, after all this time.

Trying to get work done was impossible. I finally gave up and went outside for a run. Taking my clothes off and setting them on the porch, Apollo quickly took over, taking off into the surrounding woods. Before I knew it, it was five o'clock. She will be here soon, so I made my way back to the house to shower and change before they got here.

No sooner than I made it back downstairs, I saw Donovan approaching the SUV that was coming down the drive. I had to fight like h**l to keep my wolf at bay. After coming to a stop, he opened the door, helped her out of the car and grabbed her bag for her.

"That should be us touching her, not him", Apollo said in my head. "In due time, buddy. Just be patient a little longer. We don't want to scare her off. She hasn't lived in a pack for a very long time." He scoffed at me, turning and retreating to the back of my mind.

Donovan made his way over to the front porch with his cousin. One glance at her and flashbacks of our childhood ran through my mind. Her brother Trey would always come over to play with Donovan and I, and she'd tag along. Pissing her brother off, but I never minded it, actually. I was drawn to her when we were kids, and now it seems I know why.

The closer Zadie got, the more excited Apollo got, coming back to the forefront of my mind. Donovan made the introductions and Zadie extended her hand to offer it to me, but I couldn't make myself reach out to take it. One look at her, one whiff of her scent was all it took for me to fall completely in love with her all over again.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, and I was already fighting my wolf for control. If I touched her, I was afraid of what Apollo would do. He was howling in my head to claim her. I could feel my eyes changing color and Apollo pressing forward. Does she not recognize me as her mate? Why? She's eighteen, she should be able to feel it.

This is all too much. I can't scare her away. I have to get away from her, keep some distance between us this weekend. For now at least.

"Welcome home," I told her before I turned and headed back into the house, going straight to my office as fast as I could, slamming the door behind me. Maybe some space between us is a good thing for now. I keep trying to convince myself of this. I haven't even told Donovan yet that she's my mate.

An hour or so later, I heard Donovan in my head. "Where are you," he asked me. "My office," I replied. Only a moment later, my door flies open before he starts in on me.

"What the h**l man? Why are you acting so weird towards Zadie? Do you have a problem with her being here? It was your idea that she come this weekend and get reacquainted with the pack!"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. As soon as I saw her, flashbacks from when we were kids started to play through my head. Her brother, her.....all the fun the four of us had. It was a lot to take in."

He just stared at me for a while. My best friend knew me too well. He could tell that I wasn't telling him the whole truth just by looking at my face and reading my body language.

"No, something else is going on with you," he finally said, taking a seat in the chair on the other side of my desk. He just sat there and stared at me. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

Donovan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Spill dude."

"You have to promise not to overreact." I paused, waiting for him to reply. He nodded his head and sat up straighter in his chair. "Last night when you got home, Apollo was going crazy in my head. We could smell Zadie on you."

I paused to see if he would get what I was trying to tell him without actually having to come out and say the words. He just sat there, staring at me. I guess he's gonna make me come out and say it.

"Zadie..... she's my mate."