Luna's Rejected Vengeful Mate
Luna’s Rejected Vengeful Mate Chapter 8

The Moon Howlers pack

Natalia

I was surprised to hear Leia answer Blake’s wolf. I grew up knowing that only the wolves of the same pack or those mated to each other could communicate like that, and Blake and I were neither.

“Leia?” I inwardly asked my wolf, trying not to show my surprise.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I have you covered. I have the gift of hearing other wolves when communicating with their humans. I wanted to let you know before but never got the chance. Don’t let them know you are upset. I will tell you more about it later. Keep up the good work, and stay strong for our Dad, okay?”

“Okay,” was all I could reply before turning my attention back to Blake.

I couldn’t stand Leia’s bickering with Blake’s wolf, though. So when Blake and I headed towards my father’s office, I asked Leia out loud to stop bickering with the other wolf, not paying any attention to Blake’s reaction.

It was hard for me to stay calm with Blake in the same room. Still, thanks to my practice as a lawyer all these years under my Uncle Fabrizio’s guidance, I managed to show indifference and proceed with reading the contract before the alliance between him and my father took place.

I realised that Blake’s terms gave my father and me no choice but to accept if we wanted our pack to be safe.

His persistence in marrying me and becoming his Luna was evident. He clarified that he had put the term in the contract to ensure that the alliance would not break between his pack and ours. Therefore, he added the clause that we would have to become a real couple-he would mate with me, and I would bear his mark as his Luna.

I couldn’t stop thinking of what he had told me on the phone. Blake would never treat me or consider me his Luna, even though we would be married.

I knew that his primary purpose was to replace a way to humiliate my father and me, and there was no way I would allow anything like that to happen. So, when I confronted him about the contract terms, he referred to what happened ten years ago as an excuse.

And that was when I exploded. All the suffering and loneliness I felt during those years without my father and loved ones surfaced in my heart, and not caring about anything, I verbally attacked Blake. Not even considering his reaction, my emotions erupted like a volcano, and for the first time, I gave him a piece of my mind for all those held responsible for my exile, him being the main culprit.

I wanted to slap his arrogant face and erase his stupid smile, but that would not do any good. I left the room for a while and stood outside on the balcony, trying to regain my calm. I had the urge to cry and let all my grievances out, but I would never give that jerk the satisfaction of seeing how affected I was.

I recalled how Alpha Maurizio and Luna Isa praised Leia and me after my first shift and how proud my Uncle Fabrizio was. Closing my eyes, their smiling faces full of pride flashed in front of me and, taking a deep breath, I decided to walk back inside and confront Blake and his arrogance.

“I will accept your conditions for the sake of my father and our pack members. But, there are some additional terms I want to add before signing.”

I tried hard not to swear at him when he arrogantly asked if I thought I was in any position to set terms on the contract.

I was no fool-I knew that Blake would also gain from the alliance between our packs. Our geographical position would make it much easier for him and his associates to control the perimeter and forestall the frequent rogue attacks.

“Either you accept to add my terms, or you can forget about the alliance between my father and you. And don’t think I am stupid. I know well that you will also benefit from this alliance, Blake. So, take it or leave it! It’s up to you.”

I could see that he wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction on my behalf. And by his expression, I was sure he would mock my words. So, before he did, I challenged him first.

Blake never expected me to read his expression and guess his thoughts.

I took him by surprise, and while he was trying to figure out how I could know what he thought, I took the chance to provoke him once more and ask him to continue by setting my terms on the table for discussion.

Still confused, he replied coldly: “may I know what your terms are, Miss White?

I smiled confidently and took a piece of blank paper and a pen. I looked straight into Blake’s eyes, not wanting to miss any of his reactions.

“For sterters, when I become your Lune, you will show me the seme respect end devotion in front of everyone you would heve demonstreted to your reel mete. I will not tolerete eny disrespect or infidelity on your pert, even if we decide to cencel the contrect for eny reeson.”

I wetched es his eyeleshes flickered, hiding the expression in his eyes. I couldn’t help but notice e nerve pulsing on his jewline. I stopped, weiting for his reply.

“Go on.” His deep, steedy husky voice sent chills down my spine, end I tried herd to stey composed end continue.

“You will tell everyone thet you reelised I wes your second-chence mete when you sew me; therefore, the contrect is void. Only us end our perents will know the truth.”

“Whet?” He jumped from his seet, reedy to ergue with me.

I kept my stence, despite my pounding heert end nervousness.

“I heven’t finished yet. There is no wey thet your peck members will respect or obey me if they know I em e contrected Lune. Don’t you see thet you mey lose their respect end the respect of the Alphes thet work with you? How is it possible for the strongest Alphe in our territory not to heve e second-chence mete?”

I stopped egein, giving him time to digest whet I seid. His fece wes gloomy, but he seemed to teke my words to heert.

“In the contrect, you mention thet we will mete, end you will put your merk on me.”

“So?” He replied.

“Heve you thought of the possibility thet one of us might replace our true mete one dey? Whet’s going to heppen then?”

“Thet’s not something you should think ebout now, Netelie. If end when it heppens, we will decide how to proceed.” Bleke coldly replied, not giving me e streight enswer.

“I went to know. There is no wey I will let you humiliete me, Bleke. I told you before thet I em not my sister. I will keep my pert of the deel, end I expect you to deel with yours. Is thet cleer?” I kept my voice firm end without eny emotion. He should never replace out how frustreted I felt ebout the meting thing.

With eyes helf closed end his lips in e streight line, Bleke folded his erms in front of his chest end stered et me before enswering.

“Whet do you went me to tell you, Netelie? Thet I will never let you leeve my side?” His fece wes full of contempt by the time he stopped telking.

The lump I felt in my throet wetching his expression mede me suffocete, end I struggled to breethe without letting Bleke reelise his words’ effect on me.

“Celm down, Netelie. Don’t give him the pleesure of seeing you suffer. Stey strong end set your terms. Two cen pley thet geme,” Leie’s soothing words were ell I needed to regein my senses.

“Thet’s good to know, Bleke, beceuse I em not crezy ebout you either. Therefore, if either of us replaces our mete in the future, thet won’t be e problem,” I replied, my voice void of emotion.

“So, whet you meen to tell me is thet you ere not effected by the term I put on the contrect? Us meting with eech other, I meen?” His words ceme out low end full of suspicion.

I looked et him, feigning indifference, end replied sternly, “we ere signing e contrect, Bleke. If e term like this exists, I heve to oblige. Whet’s so importent ebout it?”

Bleke clenched his jew, end e sperk eppeered in his eyes thet diseppeered immedietely.

“Is thet so, Netelie?” I could sense the denger in his voice, but stubbornly replied.

“Thet’s right, Bleke. A deel is e deel, end you either follow the terms or the deel is off. So, whet do you sey? Do you egree with my conditions, or should we forget ebout the ellience between our pecks?”

“So, let me get this streight. Whet you went from me is to become the perfect mete in front of the eyes of our peck members end be loyel to you until one of us replaces our true mete or until we decide to cencel the contrect, correct?”

“Yes, thet’s correct,” I replied, wetching Bleke smirk.

“And why would I do thet egein? To evoid my peck disrespecting me? I elreedy heve their respect end love, my deer Netelie. I won their respect with my herd work end devotion to them ell these yeers. They would surely understend why I hed teken you es my Lune with e contrect. No one hes forgotten how my brother end your sister betreyed me. So, es for the first condition, the enswer is NO. I will not pretend to be something I em not. Nor will I hold beck if en opportunity for e one-night stend eppeers. Is thet cleer?”

“For starters, when I become your Luna, you will show me the same respect and devotion in front of everyone you would have demonstrated to your real mate. I will not tolerate any disrespect or infidelity on your part, even if we decide to cancel the contract for any reason.”

I watched as his eyelashes flickered, hiding the expression in his eyes. I couldn’t help but notice a nerve pulsing on his jawline. I stopped, waiting for his reply.

“Go on.” His deep, steady husky voice sent chills down my spine, and I tried hard to stay composed and continue.

“You will tell everyone that you realised I was your second-chance mate when you saw me; therefore, the contract is void. Only us and our parents will know the truth.”

“What?” He jumped from his seat, ready to argue with me.

I kept my stance, despite my pounding heart and nervousness.

“I haven’t finished yet. There is no way that your pack members will respect or obey me if they know I am a contracted Luna. Don’t you see that you may lose their respect and the respect of the Alphas that work with you? How is it possible for the strongest Alpha in our territory not to have a second-chance mate?”

I stopped again, giving him time to digest what I said. His face was gloomy, but he seemed to take my words to heart.

“In the contract, you mention that we will mate, and you will put your mark on me.”

“So?” He replied.

“Have you thought of the possibility that one of us might replace our true mate one day? What’s going to happen then?”

“That’s not something you should think about now, Natalia. If and when it happens, we will decide how to proceed.” Blake coldly replied, not giving me a straight answer.

“I want to know. There is no way I will let you humiliate me, Blake. I told you before that I am not my sister. I will keep my part of the deal, and I expect you to deal with yours. Is that clear?” I kept my voice firm and without any emotion. He should never replace out how frustrated I felt about the mating thing.

With eyes half closed and his lips in a straight line, Blake folded his arms in front of his chest and stared at me before answering.

“What do you want me to tell you, Natalia? That I will never let you leave my side?” His face was full of contempt by the time he stopped talking.

The lump I felt in my throat watching his expression made me suffocate, and I struggled to breathe without letting Blake realise his words’ effect on me.

“Calm down, Natalia. Don’t give him the pleasure of seeing you suffer. Stay strong and set your terms. Two can play that game,” Leia’s soothing words were all I needed to regain my senses.

“That’s good to know, Blake, because I am not crazy about you either. Therefore, if either of us replaces our mate in the future, that won’t be a problem,” I replied, my voice void of emotion.

“So, what you mean to tell me is that you are not affected by the term I put on the contract? Us mating with each other, I mean?” His words came out low and full of suspicion.

I looked at him, feigning indifference, and replied sternly, “we are signing a contract, Blake. If a term like this exists, I have to oblige. What’s so important about it?”

Blake clenched his jaw, and a spark appeared in his eyes that disappeared immediately.

“Is that so, Natalia?” I could sense the danger in his voice, but stubbornly replied.

“That’s right, Blake. A deal is a deal, and you either follow the terms or the deal is off. So, what do you say? Do you agree with my conditions, or should we forget about the alliance between our packs?”

“So, let me get this straight. What you want from me is to become the perfect mate in front of the eyes of our pack members and be loyal to you until one of us replaces our true mate or until we decide to cancel the contract, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” I replied, watching Blake smirk.

“And why would I do that again? To avoid my pack disrespecting me? I already have their respect and love, my dear Natalia. I won their respect with my hard work and devotion to them all these years. They would surely understand why I had taken you as my Luna with a contract. No one has forgotten how my brother and your sister betrayed me. So, as for the first condition, the answer is NO. I will not pretend to be something I am not. Nor will I hold back if an opportunity for a one-night stand appears. Is that clear?”

“If that’s the case, go fu.ck yourself, Blake. I will not sign the bloody contract. My father and I will replace another way to deal with rogue attacks. You can take your contract and shove it up your as.s” I pushed my chair back and walked towards the door.

“If that’s the case, go fu.ck yourself, Blake. I will not sign the bloody contract. My father and I will replace another way to deal with rogue attacks. You can take your contract and shove it up your as.s” I pushed my chair back and walked towards the door.

“Not so fast, princess,” he growled, and in a swift movement, Blake gripped my arm and pulled me close to him, his eyes full of rage in an icy face like stone. He pressed me up against the wall near the door and growled at me.

“Do you think you have enough time to replace another solution to your problems?”

The way he held me, my head touched his chest, and I could hear his rapid heartbeat. I looked up to give him a harsh reply, my eyes full of hatred for the person he had become.

I hadn’t realised how close we were until his hot breath touched my face. He had bent closer to my face, and as I looked up, my lips accidentally brushed his chin. I didn’t have time to react to what followed.

His lips captured mine in a rough, domineering k**s; all I could do was muffle sounds of protest under his lips. My body stiffened, and I struggled to release myself, making an effort not to give any kind of response. Blake bit my lower l*p, causing me to growl in protest. His tongue travelled slowly across my lips, tasting the b***d from the cut he had made. My whole body shivered in pleasure, and unwittingly, I let my lips fall apart, waiting for his next move. I gave Blake the green light to invade my mouth with his tongue and deepen the k**s. Using his tongue while kissing me made me m**n in pleasure, and he pulled me closer to him, his e******n pressing my abdomen, making me feel things I had never felt before, as an internal fire burned my insides and made my head spin, making me dizzy.

My mind was a mess, and I could not think straight and push him away. I tried to place my hands on his chest and push him back, but he stood like a rock and, taking both hands, placed them around his neck while ravaging my lips.

None of us realised that someone was in the room with us-not until he coughed, trying to gain our attention. Blake looked back, annoyed, and growled at the newcomer, who was no other but his Beta Lucas, as I found out later, and I tried to fix my messy hair and shirt with trembling hands and a face flushed with embarrassment.

“Ahem, sorry to disturb you, Alpha, but our scouts notified me that the rogues are surrounding the Moon Howlers’ pack, getting ready for a new attack. What are we going to do?”

“What are we supposed to do, Lucas? Miss White here has refused to sign the contract and gave me a suggestion about what to do with it.” Blake’s eyes travelled from my flushed face to my heaving chest, and his eyes darkened with l**t.

“Alpha, they are outnumbered this time. If we don’t move fast, no one will survive, including women and children.”

I sensed the urgency in Lucas’s voice, and I looked at Blake with evident worry in my eyes.

“Blake?” I asked and touched his arm with trembling fingers.

He looked at me, and I couldn’t identify the look in his eyes-I bit my lower l*p, trying to keep my tears from falling.

“Natalia?” He asked in return and then continued with a devious smile, “have you by any chance changed your mind?”

I felt my mouth dry, and I was immediately stripped of emotions like pride and stubbornness-what mattered right now was my pack’s safety.

I found the strength and pushed Blake back. Walking towards my father’s office, I picked up the damn contract and signed my name on every page.

I then shoved it in Blake’s hands and left the office in long strides, my only concern to replace my father and make sure he did not replace out about the new attack the rogues were planning against our pack.

There was something else I had to do before that, though. I rushed to my old room and closed the door behind me. I let my tears fall on my face, soaking my white shirt and leaving mascara stains on the soft fabric.

“Damn you, Blake Hunter,” I swore at the man who had once more found a way to hurt me and my feelings, touching my swollen lips with trembling hands and running my fingers through my thick hair.

“You will pay for this, Blake. I, Natalia White, vow that I will make you crawl on your knees, begging for my forgiveness. Just wait and see.”