My Future Luna

7| Revealing

| Victoria |

Preston was here? Preston was here and he was my mate. No! I cried long and hard in my head. Not for my choice of mate, but for what I had done to him. It did make a sick kind of sense though.

“What are you doing?” My wolf screamed at me while I just stayed crouched as he knelt in front of me, his face slack with shock. “Take him. Mate him. Mark him!”

“We can't,” I flinched outwardly at my wolf's ferocity. “He hates us.”

“He can't hate us. We're mates.”

“We were so mean to him…” I moaned out mentally. My wolf went quiet as she thought over the memories I had that we shared.

“You dumb b***h!” She cursed at me. “You ruined everything,” she seethed, knowing we were all alone these last long months because I had driven our mate away. I knew I was why he'd left, graduating early without any notice. I hadn't known until I saw him absent at school. One day he was just gone. But… I hadn't sensed him as my mate on my birthday and he'd been there. I thought back to that night- it was such a chaotic and unhappy night in my memory. He had been there, right?

I'd been able to keep tabs on him when he was in the pack, but once he left I'd not known anything. His mum had just said he was doing warrior work, and I couldn't ask anyone else without raising suspicion why I'd ask after him.

I could see he was fighting with his wolf too. Such hurt, anger and lust flickered across his handsome features. He looked grown up. My eyes travelled around his face, dropping to appreciate his broad chest.

He took a few gulping breaths and unsteadily got to his feet. I followed suit, unfurling and standing before him.

His eyes widened at my nakedness causing a smile to come to my face. I knew my body was amazing.

He quickly looked up. “Uh… there's a blanket just over there.”

I looked at where he was indicating with a frown. “It'll be easier to mark and mate if we're both naked.”

I said it although I figured he was not going to just mark and mate me- he would have made a move by now. It was worth a shot, though.

His eyes came to mine and they became furious and hard. “I, Preston King, of-”

“No!” I screamed and rushed forward, my hands flapping in my panic. I didn't need to hear anything more to know he was about to reject me.

He regarded me for a split second, his mouth opening again.

“No!’ I screamed again as he started to say the words again.

“Victoria!” My dad came running up behind us, he had a few other members of the Winding River Pack with him, someone covering me up.

“Daddy, he's trying to reject me,” I didn't care how I sounded. I was terrified. My wolf was pissed. My mind was reeling- to get what I always wanted for him to just want to reject us?

Preston had taken a few steps back as he regarded my father wearily.

“Who-?” my father turned his eyes to Preston, surprise and recognition coming to him. “Preston.”

“Alpha Lewis,” he nodded his greeting.

There was a moment of silence before I couldn't stand it anymore. “Make him accept me.”

“My goddess. Just take him,” my wolf growled at me.

My father looked between the two of us and asked with incredulity. “Preston, were you considering rejecting my daughter?”

Preston shifted on his feet, “I'm not worthy, Alpha Lewis. I'm completely unranked. Just a warrior-”

“Don't be ridiculous,” my father bellowed laughter. “My daughter is alpha enough for the two of you. Come on, come back to the packhouse. We can discuss your return and we'll post another warrior here-”

“With all respect, Alpha Lewis,” Preston bravely interrupted my father, his disruption shocking him enough to allow the young wolf to speak. “Your daughter would be better with a chosen mate. She'll be… happier.”

My wolf whimpered. I could do nothing but look at my mate, my oldest friend and the person I pushed away.

“Victoria?” My father swung to me. Of course, I wanted him. I always had. And he was my Goddess-given mate. I'd pushed him away so I wouldn't be hurt when it turned out he wasn't my mate- I didn’t want to fall for him more, just for us to be crushed when we found our mates.

I just nodded, completely mute. Preston looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. Like I was a stranger. A stranger he didn't understand. But he knew me. More than anyone else.

~*~

| Preston |

I trudged behind my mate and her father, the Alpha of the Winding River Pack further ahead. Victoria kept looking back, her face so open and vulnerable.

I was so confused. She shouldn't want me, bond or not. She hated me. She wanted nothing but my suffering.

Why was she acting like she did? Alpha Lewis said she was alpha enough for the two of us- did that mean she had a strong wolf- is that why they were willing to take such a low-ranked wolf as her mate? Someone she could boss around?

“I wouldn't mind being bossed around by her,” Fynn quipped.

“She's been with half our pack,” I snapped back at him at the exact same moment as one of her glance backs. That was an extreme over-exaggeration but discovering she's my mate made me want to think in extremes.

She gave me a soft smile. I guessed it was supposed to be encouraging, but it filled me with more rage.

My wolf grumbled at my words, “We best quickly make her forget them all then.”

I exhaled sharply at my wolf's words. “You forgive so easily?”

“I think we could make her work for it…” he rumbled. He sent me thoughts about how we could make our mate beg, and I had to quickly adjust my erection, doing it between her furtive glances backwards.

“No,” I chastised him, “we'll get her to let us reject her, take someone else- like Dana. She's so good and nice to us. She's beautiful and sexy-”

“Not mate!” My wolf snapped back.

His whimper came out of me, Victoria's head snapping back around. She faltered in her step but I kept pushing forward, the delay meaning I started to walk slightly ahead of her.

Alpha Lewis clapped a hand on my shoulder as we came abreast.

“I hear you've been doing great work here. We've been impressed by the feedback we've received.”

“Thank you, Alpha Lewis.” I felt a bubbling inside me. I needed to try something else or they were going to make me come home. “I feel like there has to be a better option for the good of the pack, sir.”

I heard Victoria take a harsh breath in. It sent a twinge in my chest to know I inflicted her any pain. Stupid matebond.

Alpha Lewis slid his arm around my shoulders. “I understand, son. Being fated to be the Alpha of a pack is a big calling. Luna Justine and I aren't planning to retire for a few good years yet- you've got time to get up to speed.”

I felt my shoulders slump under the weight of his arm. How do I say, your daughter is a heinous b***h and I'd rather have my testicles consumed by ants?

“You don't,” my wolf sulked.

I knew Alpha Lewis wasn't just being sympathetic. It was Luna Justine who was the daughter of the previous Alpha- though Lewis has an alpha wolf and he was the son of a Beta from another pack. He'd been slated to be their next Beta, so he wasn't so far off. My memory of our pack's history flickered over my memory. It was true that over a century or so since our pack was established, the Alpha and Luna would only have one daughter and her mate and Alpha came from outside the pack. It had worked well, creating natural alliances with the packs the Alphas came from- opening up opportunities for pack members to find their mate should they too be from another pack.

“That's why she thought her mate wouldn't be in our pack,” my wolf commented, putting two and two together from our shared memories from before he was awakened.

“You're my wolf. You're not supposed to be more rational than me.” I huffed at my wolf. “Plus, it doesn't excuse why she was a mega b***h to me.”

He sniggered at me, and I gave him a mental shove to shut up.

We were brought up to the top floor of the packhouse, presumably the Alpha floor, like at our packhouse.

After an awkward few moments, Alpha Lewis turned me to face him.

Looking very solemn, he uttered an Alpha command to me, “You will not reject my daughter, Preston.”

The weight of the command pushed down on me, and my wolf practically doing a happy dance. Alpha Lewis’ tone softened once his command had obviously taken effect. “Okay? The two of you… have a good night.”

He and the pack Alpha then left us.

Victoria had taken my hand at some point. My mind sunk back to basics, just one foot in front of the other, her barely concealed form walking just ahead of me, as she led me to her room.

~*~