Luna's Rejected Vengeful Mate
Luna’s Rejected Vengeful Mate Chapter 16

Natalia

I watched as Drake ran away in his wolf form, shocked by how things had turned out. The rogue leader was Blake’s younger brother, the man who had stolen my sister, betraying Blake, his father and his pack. The man responsible for Blake’s behaviour back then, an attitude that had cost me ten years of life away from my pack and my dear father. And my dear sister was an accomplice to that man’s actions.

“How am I going to tell Blake, Leia? As much as I hate that jerk, I can’t just drop a bomb like that and then watch him lose his sanity. Not only that, my father and his will suffer from the news, too.”

“Why don’t you wait until you are alone with him? Maybe then it will be better. Ask him to keep it to himself. I am sure he will not want his father to replace out either.”

“I guess you’re right, Leia. I must wait until Blake, and I are alone and no one else can hear our conversation.”

“That’s the best thing to do, Natalia. I can keep my cool right now, and I suggest you do the same in your human form. I know your sister’s behaviour hurt you, but you have practised hiding your true feelings while working at your uncle’s law firm in Italy. Think of it as one of the cases you used to deal with back then, and don’t allow your emotions to get in the way.”

Leia’s support was all I needed to compose myself and think more clearly. My precious wolf was right-I had to stay calm and ignore my personal feelings. We were dealing with a crisis, and I had to replace a way to keep my father out of this mess-his health was fragile as it was, and I planned to spend as much time with him as possible. The hard part was convincing Blake to do the same.

Lost in thought, I didn’t notice that the noise had stopped-we had won the fight. I felt Leia leaving our hiding place and walking toward Aries. Blake’s wolf stood graciously in the middle, surrounded by the other Alphas and warriors, Uncle James and Lucas on either side. The dismembered bodies of the rogues were spread all over, creating an ugly scene.

“Gather all the bodies and burn them,” Aries instructed, and I watched as some of the warriors changed into their naked human forms and obeyed Aries’s order.

I had forgotten that being naked was natural for our kind, especially after a fight. I closed my eyes in embarrassment and turned the other way. That reminded Aries of my presence, and he angrily growled at his warriors, nuzzling Leia to start walking towards the forest and back to the Moon Howlers pack.

Leia and Aries walked side by side, with the rest of the Alphas and warriors following us. Aries walked proudly. The heavy aura of authority around him was evident, and I understood why the other Alphas decided to appoint him the leader of their alliance. His wolf’s bearing screamed power and decisiveness.

The run back to my pack was silent, with everyone lost in thought. We stopped midway as some of the warriors and their Alphas had to shift back to their human forms and follow us. Blake urged me to move ahead, and when we reached the tree trunk, he kept watch for me until I shifted, and he then followed my example and did the same.

A wound on his left arm was still bleeding, but he paid no attention to it. I walked closer and touched the skin around the wound carefully.

“We need to clean this, Blake.” I tried to keep my voice neutral.

“No need. I will have a bath, and by then, it will heal,” was his stern reply as he pulled back to avoid my touch, and I decided to ignore him and walk toward the packhouse.

“I will ask the staff to prepare food for everyone and the guesthouse for the Alphas to rest. The warriors can clean up and rest in the warriors’ guest dormitory.”

Not waiting for him to reply, I entered the house. The place was quiet; everyone must have gone to bed since they had celebrated my wedding with Blake.

I went looking for Maria in her room-she was still awake in bed, looking at some photos. I went over and sat beside her, caressing her braided grey hair.

She gave me a photo to look at, one of my mother wearing the same white dress I’d worn a few hours before. She was holding my father’s arm and smiling at the camera. The resemblance between us was unbelievable. And I understood where Maria had gotten the inspiration for my hairstyle at my wedding. My mother had her hair braided the same way I did, and Maria was the one that had styled it for her.

“Can I keep this one, Maria?’ my voice came out as a whisper, and the older woman nodded, smiling at me. I took the photo and stood up, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Maria, we need to arrange food for about two hundred hungry and tired men. Do you think it’s possible to have it ready in, let’s say, an hour? Oh, and get the guestrooms ready for twenty Alphas and the warriors’ dormitory for the warriors?”

“We sure can, sweety. Let me get dressed and wake the staff. We will get everything ready in less than an hour. Why don’t you go back to your room and clean yourself up? Where have you been, by the way? You smell as if you put your head in a garbage can.”

I looked at her, stunned, and Maria laughed. I rushed to my room and jumped into the shower-I put my head under the stream of hot water, washed my hair with shampoo and cleaned my face. And then it hit me-was that why Blake pulled away when I neared him and touched his wound?

“Oops, I forgot to tell you that although the scent vanishes from the rest after some time, it stays on my fur and, of course, on your skin unless you clean yourself well,” Leia giggled, and I huffed in annoyance.

“What’s done is done, Nat. Forget about it. No one else will remember it,” Leia comforted me, and leaving the bathroom, I trusted my wolf’s words and forgot the incident.

Maria mind-linked me that the food was ready, and I wanted to be there to attend to our guests’ needs.

All cleaned up and dressed in my dark blue skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, I walked out of my room and headed downstairs to the dining room, a vast space that could host more than four hundred people. My mother’s wish was that all pack members enjoy breakfast and dinner with their Alpha and Luna, and my father fulfilled her wish, even after her death.

Soon, Blake joined me, wearing a pair of jeans that hugged his muscled thighs and a dark blue t-shirt matching the colour of his eyes and emphasising his defined, well-built muscles and flat abdomen. The sight made me quiver for reasons I did not want to admit.

He sized me up, appreciating my looks and came over to me, taking my hand into his.

“Now, that’s what a female Alpha should smell like,” he teased me, laughing loudly, and I had never felt so embarrassed before.

“So much for no one will remember the fact that I smelled like garbage, Leia,” I fumed angrily, but my wolf did not reply.

I tried to pull back, but he held me tighter, nodding his head at the entrance. I looked that way and saw some of the Alphas and the warriors entering the room.

“We need to give them the impression that we are, if not a loving couple, then a committed one. Or else some might doubt my ability and position as the alliance leader. When I presented the contract to your father, they already knew its terms.”

“So, you mean to say they think I sold myself to you to save my pack and my father? Is that right?” I gritted my teeth, giving him and the Alphas a fake smile, squeezing his hand and digging my long nails into his skin.

He flinched but ignored the pain and squeezed my hand back, leading me to the table.

“I am an honest man; what can I do, dear wife? Hide the fact that I married you to secure the alliance? Don’t worry. They all thought I overreacted with that term but accepted it anyway. They know I am the one they can count on, and today, I proved them correct; I saved us once more, thanks to Leia’s abilities, of course.”

Did he recognise my wolf’s contribution to the fight? I looked at him, and he smiled, but this time his smile was warm, sincere, and thankful. He seemed relaxed with no signs of tension, which made him incredibly hot!

I blushed at my irrational thoughts and sat at the table next to him, avoiding looking into his eyes. Soon, the room was filled with voices and laughter. They all wanted to relax after taking the rogues down.

“Blake, you never told us how we masked our scents and pretended to smell like rogues. Was it a special potion you used? Where did you get it?” Alpha Samuel asked, and I kept a straight face while Blake smiled mischievously.

“If you allow me, I will only say that our Goddess has given us extra help tonight. I don’t know about the rest or why she blessed us this way.”

“Wait! What? Does he honestly believe that we are a blessing to him?” I was confused, but Leia soon brought me back to earth.

“Don’t buy his crap, sweetie. He is just a sweet talker, nothing else. He only said that because I asked Aries to keep my charismas a secret for the time being. We must verify our friends and foes-I don’t trust them all.”

I wanted to ask more, but Alpha Elias pushed my father and his wheelchair into the room; the commotion had woken them.

“It seems you have succeeded; that’s why you are enjoying yourselves at such an hour,” Alpha Elias commented and looked at Blake proudly.

“It was a good fight, dad,” Blake replied, filling my plate with food. He stood up, went over to my father, pushed his wheelchair to the table, and positioned him next to me.

I saw Alpha Elias’ eyes sparkle, and a faint smile played on his kind face. In silence, he sat next to Blake and ate with the rest of us. On the other hand, my father was astonished and didn’t comment on Blake’s behaviour.

When everyone was done eating, Blake got up and thanked them for their assistance.

“If you allow us, my bride and I will leave for the Dark Moon pack. You can all return to your rooms, rest, and leave for your packs tomorrow.”

What on earth was he saying? Why would we leave in the middle of the night?

“Nat, relax. It’s better this way, and you will tell him about Drake,” Leia intervened.

“But what about his father? He will join us, I guess.”

Sensing my discomfort or fear of letting me go, my father interfered.

“Blake, why don’t you rest here for a few hours and then go back?”

“I have to do things early in the morning, so I prefer to leave now. It will only take us an hour-Lucas can stay here tonight in case you need anything, and bring Natalia’s stuff with him when he comes back tomorrow. Dad, are you coming with us tonight?’

His firm voice left no room for negotiation, and I was smart enough not to fight him in front of everyone. I would deal with him when we were alone in the car.

“No, son, I will stay with my friend for a few days and leave you newlyweds alone. You barely had any time together.”

Alpha Elias’ reply made everyone laugh and start teasing Blake, who looked at me meaningfully and smiled. I felt my b***d rush into my veins and my heart ready to leave my chest- I was sure he could hear my wild heartbeat. I blushed and stood up, excusing myself from the table.

“Let me go to my room and get my suitcase. It’s not that big anyway,” I proposed, and Blake held my hand.

“Let’s go together,” he replied. “I will help you pack.” He gave me a dirty smile and made everyone laugh again. Boy, he was in big trouble and didn’t even know it.

I couldn’t refuse him, so holding his hand, I left the room and walked up the stairs. I couldn’t withdraw my palm since everyone was watching. When we reached my room, I pushed the door open and pulled my hand back.

“What the he.ll are you doing, Blake? Why are you humiliating me in front of everyone?”

I could barely keep my voice low, and my hands were itching to slap his arrogant face. He walked closer, and I could feel his hot breath on the nape of my neck as I turned away.

“Act accordingly, Nat; we need to make a good impression. Don’t make things more complicated than they already are.”

I ignored him and started packing the clothes Maria had barely taken out of my suitcase that morning.

I rushed to leave the room, and he followed me, holding my suitcase. Before we reached the ground floor, he held my hand again, intertwining his fingers with mine. A sudden feeling of familiarity and calmness spread like fire into my veins, relaxing my tense body and making me forget how angry I was just minutes ago.

“Do you feel it as well, Natalia? I get those vibes from Aries, although I enjoy teasing him,” Leia startled me with her revelation. I never expected my wolf to feel comfortable around Aries.

“Let’s see how he reacts when I tell him about Drake being the rogue leader,” I replied, unfortunately whispering instead of mind-linking with my wolf, which made Blake stop at the end of the stairs, with a loud growl. “What?”

“f**k Nat, you said it loud enough for him to hear. Do something! You have to stop him.”

I was shocked and frozen to the spot. s**t! s**t! s**t.

“Nat, k**s him, or I will!”

“Leia, what the….”

“Now,” my wolf roared, and I faced an enraged Blake who was ready to cause an uproar. I turned to face him and looked into his dark blue eyes, full of emotions. I ran my fingers through his dark silk hair without a second thought. I kissed his lips passionately, ignoring everyone who rushed to see why Blake had roared like that.

I felt his body stiffen under my touch and urged by my wolf and my instincts, I ran the tip of my tongue on his lips, teasing him and demanding entrance into his mouth. That wasn’t me acting so shamelessly-Leia must have intervened with my actions.

He pulled me closer and pressed his body to mine, giving me access and reversing our roles. He took the lead and kissed me back, biting my lower l*p in frustration. I felt the taste of b***d, but that didn’t stop Blake from ravaging my mouth with his tongue and kissing me hard, punishing me for his brother’s mistakes. But why did I feel satisfied and complete? Why did his k**s make my soft spot throb and turn my legs to jelly, and why did everything feel so right?

A low whimper escaped my throat, and Blake suddenly stopped and looked into my teary eyes. Taking a deep breath and caressing my face, he attacked my lips again, but his k**s was soft, caring and emotional this time. I held him closer and let him k**s me, silent tears running down my face. I could taste our shared breath and feel the thud of our combined heartbeat as Blake’s tongue pressed between my parted lips in ticklish kitten licks as if trying to heal my wound.”

“That’s my girl. Well done, Nat. you were able to prevent destruction. That hunk’s k****s are scorching and steamy.”

Leia’s voice brought me back to reality, and I pulled myself back, my face flushed with embarrassment, unable to look at my father’s and Alpha Elias’ side.

“Blake, please don’t say anything in front of our parents. Let’s talk about it in the car,” I pleaded, whispering and holding my hand; he nodded and dashed out of the house and into his car, leaving a stunned audience and some giggles behind.

“Fu.ck. Leia, what did you make me do, girl?” I couldn’t even face Blake.

“Who said we cannot mix business with pleasure?” My wolf teased me, and for the first time, I blocked my wolf, upset with her behaviour.

And now, what? How was I supposed to explain my actions to Mr incredible kisser s***h jerk Blake Hunter?