Luna's Rejected Vengeful Mate

Chapter 2 - The contract's condition

The shrill ringing of my phone jerked me from my deep slumber, and I jumped from my bed, rushing to answer before it woke Lisa. I checked the time; only four o’clock in the morning.

My heart raced, and a heavy feeling of an impending disaster washed over me. For just a moment, I hesitated when I saw who was calling. My father never called me so early in the morning. My mouth felt dry, and I reached for the glass of water that always sat next to my bed. I gulped it down, and it soothed the desert in my throat. Finally, I answered.

“Dad? Is everything alright?” I tried to sound normal and not let on just how worried I was about his call.

“Hey, baby girl, I am sorry to wake you. I have a meeting at seven-thirty tonight, and I need to talk to you before then.” His voice was muted, not the best connection, but I could still hear the urgency. I quickly calculated the time difference between California and Milan, Italy; it was nine hours, just about seven in the evening back in California.

His tone strengthened my suspicions that something was wrong, and I didn’t reply, waiting for him to tell me why he was calling me at this time.

“Natalia, honey, I want you to stay calm and let me finish what I am about to say. Rogues are constantly attacking our pack, and it’s getting more intense every day. With you out of the country and your sister missing, there is not much I can do by myself. So, I’ve requested an alliance with the toughest pack in our area.”

I’d been gone for so many years and was entirely out of touch regarding our neighbouring packs. I had no idea which one he was referring to.

“Dad?”

“Natalia, I had to ask the Dark Moon Stone pack for help,” my father’s voice came out in a whisper.

“What? Dad, you asked Blake for help? Seriously?”

My legs turned to jelly, and I flopped on the bed, trying to control my trembling body and not let the fear take me back to the nightmares I had had for so many years.

“Natalia, he is the only one who can help us. I don't have a choice.” My dad sounded desperate, and I felt guilty for judging him. I remained quiet, knowing he had something to add.

“I must leave you, my child. I’ve just been informed that Blake and the rest of the Alphas he works with have arrived. I will get back to you when we finish and let you know the result.” He hung up on me abruptly.

I sat frozen, still holding the phone to my ear, trying to digest the news my father had just given me. Our pack was in danger, and my father was too old to handle the threat alone. For him to request the help of Blake Hunter, our sworn enemy, meant that he was in a desperate position.

I exhaled heavily, closed my eyes, and lay back on my pillow. An image of Blake came to mind. His expression was full of hatred and rage, and his dark blue eyes turned red with fury at my sister’s betrayal the night before their mating ceremony. Yes, Blake Hunter was my sister’s fated mate.

Our families had a strong alliance and friendship before they found out they were mates. Blake was my idol; he was six years older than me, and he was a tall, sturdy, and handsome young man. He always treated me with care and gentleness, although I was a pain in the a.ss as a child.

All that changed after he and my sister realised that they were mates. Blake was twenty-one, and he returned from his studies to take the Alpha position from his father. Blake didn’t have the time to deal with me, a fifteen-year-old girl, and he was all over my older sister. And then, disaster struck the night before their mating ceremony. It turned him into a cruel monster, one who exhaled fire, ready to swallow us all and leave no survivors.

My thoughts were interrupted by the shrill sound of my phone again. I knew it was my father and answered the call, anxious to find out how things turned out for him and our pack.

“He has agreed to the alliance but has put a condition in the contract, and if we do not oblige, we don’t have a deal.” He didn’t even say hello, and just jumped in as soon as our call connected.

He then paused as if gathering the strength to continue, breathing heavily through the phone. I realised that what he was about to say would not make me happy, and uneasiness crept up my spine, my thoughts whirled, and I held my breath, unable to react. Cold sweat dripped down my neck, soaking my silk PJs.

“Blake wants you to come back to California next week, marry him and become his chosen mate, his Luna.”

I choked.

“What do you mean, Dad? How can I return to our pack next week and marry Alpha Blake Hunter? What about the life I struggled to build so many years away from you and everyone else? Are you even listening to yourself? Why would I want to marry my sister’s ex-mate? Have you forgotten what he did to us when Elisabeth rejected him and eloped with his brother the night before their mating ceremony? Because of him, I left everything behind and travelled to a foreign country alone, not knowing what the future held for me. You, of all people, know best how hard that was for me. And now this? ”

My stomach dropped, and my palms started sweating as I recalled how fast my father had arranged everything with his younger brother, James. I miraculously escaped that night in my uncle’s car, wearing an evening gown with no money and no other clothes.

“You sent me as far away as possible to protect me from his wrath, Dad. And now, after ten years, you are asking me to return as if nothing happened and marry that lunatic?”

My father did not reply, and my chest was heavy with concern and anxiety.

“Dad? Are you listening to me?”

“I am afraid your father can’t answer you as he is no longer in this room,” a deep, husky voice replied. My eyes filled with tears, and all the air left my lungs. With uneven breath, I spoke, my voice trembling,

“Who is this?”

A burst of cynical laughter came from the other side of the line, and the male replied, “this is the lunatic you mentioned before.”

I froze. “Blake?”

“In the flesh,” the man replied coldly and then continued.

“Don’t think I am happy about marrying you, Natalia White. I was never into oversized females, and I only requested this marriage to form a strong alliance with your father against our common enemies and make sure he would not betray me. I will never consider you my mate or Luna. You are just a means to an end, woman. Don’t overthink it.”

I didn’t reply. Instead, I looked at myself in the mirror and faced the 5ft 8 young woman with a slim waist, flat belly and an athletic, curvy figure. My full brea.sts pressed the fabric of my silky blouse, threatening to tear the fabric. My long-tanned legs were full of muscles due to many gym exercise hours. My almond-shaped dark blue eyes contrasted with my opaque black hair, and my plump red lips were the sexiest part of my appearance. That was what I was told anyway.

“Oversized females? What is he talking about?”

Then I realised that he thought I was the same girl he last saw ten years ago. My fists clenched, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks at his description of me. As.shole.

“And what if I refuse to marry you?” I provoked him.

“Then you will sign your father’s and your pack’s death sentence. I am the only one that can save them,” Blake replied arrogantly.

“You… you disgust me, Alpha Hunter.” My voice came out full of venom.

“I am not so thrilled about you either,” he sneered and hung up on me, leaving me all stressed and dumbfounded.

I left my room and entered the living room. I desperately needed a strong drink. I found a bottle of whiskey that Lisa had brought a few days ago. I opened it, filled my glass and gulped it down at once, repeating the process. The liquid left a burning sensation in my throat, and I started coughing uncontrollably. I rushed to the toilet and started vomiting. I didn't realise I was crying until I saw my face in the mirror after a while.

“What am I going to do? How can I go back and put myself in that man's hands? And my future? What about my future? I have managed to build a good life for myself here. I have a job that I love, and I live my life with no werewolf fights, no rogues, nothing. Goddess, what am I going to do?” My thoughts ran wild in my mind as I wracked my brain to find a solution.

“This isn't you, Natalia. This isn't us, and you know it. You were forced to live this way of life. You are an Alpha-blood female, and your presence is required for the sake of our pack and our family. You were never a loser. Don't act like one now. If we must go back and face that as.shole, then let’s do it. Let’s show him who we are and what we are made of.” Leia tried to reason with me, her sassy tone surprising me.

“What? Why are you so surprised, Natalia? Did you ever give me the chance to show my character or abilities? No! Was I ever able to shift completely and show you who I truly am? Again, a big NO! Why? Because, my dear, I respected your wishes and stayed hidden so that you could have a normal and peaceful life like you wanted. Don’t you think it’s about time you respected my wishes too? I want to go back, Natalia. I need to go back and be with my kind. I am slowly drifting away, locked inside your head all the time.”

I was shocked at my wolf’s reaction. Since Leia showed up in my life, I felt I finally had someone close to me, a family member. She had always been supportive and never complained that I was afraid to let her shift, not wanting to reveal my true identity to anyone. When Fabricio offered to take me to one of his friend’s packs to help me shift for the first time, I declined his offer, and Leia was okay with it. She didn’t want to pressure me, knowing my fears and soothing me with her sweet words.

My wolf was one of the main reasons I grew strong and confident in the past years, ready to face all life's challenges. Today, I woke up and faced the biggest challenge of my life. I had to return to California as Alpha White's daughter to save my pack and father from the rogues’ attacks. The only way to do that was to marry the man who swore to harm the rest of my family and me ten years ago and become his Luna.

I went back to my room and sat on my bed. I looked at the glowing surface of my watch, half past five in the morning. I had been awake for the last one and a half hours, too hyped and afraid to sleep. The thought of having another nightmare where Blake tried to harm me brought a new stream of tears to my eyes and made my decision even harder.