Chapter 7: Rejected
1744 Words
Vivian
I barely slept the first night in the cottage. All I could think about was the woman in those pictures and how I was sleeping in the bed she slept in, probably the same sheets.
It was confusing and upsetting to be stuck in that situation.
“You look like hell,” Marian said when I joined her in the kitchen for breakfast.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
She handed me a mug of steaming coffee. I grunted in thanks and plopped down on the island barstool, watching her as she made herself an omelet.
“Today is a new day, Vivian. You never know what will happen.”
“Right.” I gulped down the coffee to avoid having to say more.
Knock. Knock.
I glanced at the front door. It was a little early for visitors. Shrugging, I set the coffee down and pulled the front door open. I expected Luce.
Instead, I met someone new. His piercing green eyes looked right through me and his face was a blank mask. He had dark, auburn hair that reminded me a little of Finn’s, even though he wore it in a crew cut with floppy bangs in his face.
“Vivian Summers?” His voice was a low, gravelly snarl.
“That’s me.”
“Come on. The boss wants to see you.” He turned and headed down the steps.
I noticed the tattoo on the back of his neck. It was from Bloodmoon, one of the branches of Shadowmoon. This had to be Asher Riker, Finn’s brother and the underboss of the Bloodmoon branch.
“Where are we going?” I slipped my shoes on and grabbed a light jacket.
Heavy mist hung in the air covering the grounds. It left a chill all around.
“Finn’s office. He sent for you.”
“Right, because I’m just someone that can be called and dismissed at his convenience.”
Asher grunted. “If that’s what he wants you to be.”
Shadows flickered out of the corner of my eyes and I looked deeper into the mist. Security guards, some in wolf form, others in human form, lurked around. I guess they were there to follow me.
“You’re Asher, right? Finn’s brother?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, can you tell me what he wants from me? I mean, he dragged me all the way out here just to keep me under constant guard in some out-of-the-way cottage. What’s that about?”
Asher’s piercing eyes slid toward me. They practically glowed in the mist.
“You drew the short straw. It is an unfortunate burden to be Finn Riker’s mate.”
“Okay… what the hell does that mean?”
“You’ll see.” He smirked cruelly and picked up the pace.
Asher’s vague answers were even less helpful than Luce’s. She knew Finn much better than his own brother. Was there anyone in the world he trusted or opened up to?
My mind instantly conjured up the image of the beautiful, smiling woman in the pictures at the cottage. He probably opened up to her a lot.
“Can you give me something more than that? My entire life was uprooted and I have no idea why.”
Asher groaned. “In this business, asking questions is grounds to make someone disappear.”
I froze. A few steps later, Asher turned to see me still standing in place.
He rolled his eyes. “Come on. You don’t want to keep him waiting. That means more work for me.” Another threat slipped off his tongue so easily. Who was this guy?
Asher roughly grabbed my arm and yanked me into motion. My shoulder jolted and popped and my feet stumbled over themselves.
“Now, you might think that because you’re Finn’s mate, you have some kind of standing here. The truth is, even if he did favor you, I’d never let you out of my sight. You’re an outsider here.”
I ran along behind him trying not to trip on my own feet and fall. Mentally, I made a note not to cross paths with Asher.
He half dragged me through the first floor of the mansion to a room in the back. He knocked twice on the oak door, turned the brass knob, and shoved me inside. Before I could react, the door closed behind me.
I took a deep breath and hugged my jacket closer around me. Finn was across the room standing behind a large, cherry-wood desk. He didn’t even look up from his computer.
I rubbed my hands on my thighs and took a quick look around. The windows behind Finn had a great view of a mist-covered pond surrounded by trees. It looked almost mystical out there.
There was a blue and gold, silk, oriental rug on the floor and several bookshelves lining the walls. Between the shelves were some gorgeous paintings by Monet, Picasso, and even Van Gogh.
When Finn didn’t look up at me or speak, I went to the nearest painting and tilted my head, smiling slightly at the flourish of spiraling color Van Gogh used.
“Do you like art?” Finn’s harsh voice broke into my thoughts.
“That depends on the artist.” I glanced over my shoulder. He was still busy, typing away on his computer. “This is a gorgeous print. I’ve never seen this one by Van Gogh before.”
Finn scoffed. “It isn’t a print.”
I gasped and looked back at the image. Looking a little closer, I saw that it was an original painting with brush streaks and raised edges.
I heard the click of his laptop lid and I turned to face him. He leaned back in his desk chair and steepled his fingers together.
“I hear you have some questions about why you’re here. I thought that was obvious after our encounter at the Solstice Ball.”
I creased my brow. “And yet, you’ve made no indication that you want me here for that reason.”
A subtle smirk tugged at Finn’s lips. I thought of the genuine, happy smile he had in the pictures. This expression was nothing like that.
“Here’s the deal. We are not mates. We don’t have a future together so you can forget about any romantic fantasies you have.”
My heart clenched and I took a half step back, hitting the wall. I suspected that’s what he’d say but hearing it still felt like a punch to the gut.
“Then why am I here?” I snapped, throwing my arms out to the sides. “Why drag me out of my life just for you to tell me you want nothing from me!?”
He growled and sat up straight. “I don’t need to explain anything to you.”
“You can’t keep me here as a prisoner!”
“I’d hardly call this life imprisonment. You’re well taken care of, and protected, and you’ll never want for anything. What more could you possibly want?”
My jaw dropped open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Besides freedom, my ability to choose, and having someone that cares about me and wants to share their life with me?”
Finn’s eyes narrowed to sharp slits. He stood up and came around the desk. With a few long strides, he was standing right in front of me.
I tilted my head back to look into his darkened eyes. The sneer on his lips sent a tremor through me but I held my ground.
“Don’t fool yourself. I don’t like having you here anymore than you want to be here.”
“Then why am I even here? You’re the great leader of Shadowmoon.” I poked my finger into his chest, sharply. “You make the rules. There’s no reason why you need to keep me here and make us both miserable.”
Finn blinked and stepped back. He rubbed the spot on his chest and for a moment, I saw surprise in his eyes. He smirked again, that same, twisted smirk that made my stomach clench.
“I won’t be miserable. I’m going to continue on with my life as if nothing has changed.”
My hands and arms trembled in anger. Blood rushed in my ears drowning out every other sound and thought.
“Is that what you told the woman in the pictures when you cast her aside? Or maybe she left you because you kept her a prisoner in that cottage, too!”
Everything around me went perfectly still. Finn’s features relaxed and his eyes opened fully. All the sneers and mocking smirks vanished. He stood there, staring straight through me like I didn’t even exist. His demeanor shifted from attack-ready to completely passive.
I could see just how much my words affected him. The woman in the pictures must have meant a lot more to him than a casual lover or a mistress.
I blinked and Finn was walking back to his desk, his body tense and his face a hardened mask again. In the moment of vulnerability, I’d seen in him, I knew there was a man with a heart in there… but a heart that belonged to someone else.
That’s why I was nothing more than an inconvenience to him.
“You will have your freedom here on the grounds of the compound, though you will be under constant guard, for your protection.”
Every sharp remark that rose to my lips died instantly. I still saw the pain in his eyes swimming through my mind.
“Why do you want to protect me if you want nothing to do with me?” I sighed heavily, my shoulders sagging completely.
“The Moon Goddess may have seen fit to throw you in my face. However, it changes nothing. You aren’t a true member of Shadowmoon. You have no power, standing, or status in the organization. Is that clear?”
And just like that, the pity I felt for him vanished.
“If that’s really how you feel, then you might as well reject me!”
He blinked at me, his face a blank slate. It looked like he couldn’t process what I said. Was the statement that unusual or surprising to him? Given everything he just said, had he not considered it an option?
“That’s not going to happen.” His voice dropped into a smooth, velvet tone that sent a delicious shudder through me.
I clenched my fists and squinted my eyes closed, fighting the power the matebond had over me. I couldn’t take this. My mind made up, I opened my mouth to speak. I ignored my wolf’s vehement protests.
“Fine. I’ll do it. I, Vivian Summers, reject you, Finn Riker, as my mate.”
I would rather go through the pain of rejection than live as a prisoner with a mate who hates me.
- Writer
