The Lunas Second Chance Mate
Chapter 50

Ryan's

POV

A light tapping at my door roused me from my thoughts. It was Alyson, I smelt her immediately. My desires rose whenever I smelt that delicious smell of vanilla and warm strawberries and I delighted when she came to me now that we were a little safer. I wanted us to be mates so badly, but I had to be patient till she was ready- only hoping that someday she would be. She had to be the most stubborn she-wolf in existence, but she was my love.

I opened the door, and she darted inside without even a kiss to greet me. It was odd, but she seemed to be panicking.

"What's wrong?" I asked, kneeling down beside her as she fell back to catch her breath on the nearest chair.

"Jacob." She breathed, 'I just met him on the road... and we spoke."

My jealousy raged inside me. Is that why she didn't kiss me? Had she felt something for him. It had haunted me every day since she told me that Jacob had once been her fated mate. Rupert was wild inside me, and I could feel my wolfish possessiveness over my mate rising fast to the surface of my conscious. I could not stop it this time.

She examined me for a second before she added, "He even was asking me about my mate, and said he could smell no one's claim on me. He seemed to flirt even. Can you believe that? I almost felt sorry for Jennifer for one second before I realized I could never feel sorry for her."

I was hardly listening anymore. I wanted to possess her, I was losing control on Rupert, I wanted everyone to know that she was mine, and I couldn't bear the thought that she might feel this way for Jacob.

When she finally looked into my eyes, her face grew white. "Ryan, you look ..."

I was grabbing her roughly despite myself. She pressed her shoulders into the back of the chair with surprise as I pounced on her. I ripped her skirt open near her hips, holding one of her arms to her side. She was pushing at me, her eyes wide with fear. "Ryan? What are you? Stop!?" She cried out, wriggling under me, trying to release herself. I could smell her wolf's fear- wanting to fight or flee.

But I had already ripped her dress up to her waist, I slouched back to take off my pants before I could hear her. Rupert would have my scent on her for the world to know.

While I was off her slightly, to peel the pants from my legs, she slapped me straight across the scarred side of my face. "Stop! Now." She growled in a low voice like I'd never heard her before. "I will fight you if you don't."

The impact made me see her, and the fear and anger in her eyes. She was pressed as far away from me as possible because I was about to hurt her. I almost had. In horror of my actions, and mortified of losing control again, I forced myself to back away from her, and slumped over in the corner. My exhales were sharp and painful.

"What wrong with you?" She scolded me.

"I'm sorry. I just was worried about Jacob and you replaceing each other. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you to him... of all people." My rage was still simmering just beneath the surface so my words came across more aggressively than intended. "I want you. all of you. I want you as my mate. Why can't you?"

She stood up from the chair where I'd nearly forced s*x on her. Brushing off her ripped skirt as if tidying it could fix it, I could see her legs beneath.

She glared at me more coldly than she ever had, and said, "I'm glad that we're not mates if you think you can treat me like this. I will never be your mate!"

"Alyson, wait," her words hit me like a hammer in my gut.

There were tears in her eyes, as she gathered herself to leave. "You know, I was really scared to meet Jacob today, and I thought I could come here and tell you all about it because you would understand. But you don't understand me at all if you think I could ever love him, if you think you have any reason to be jealous of him."

With that, she tied up the two sides of her ripped skirt together frantically as if she could not pull them together fast enough. At least her legs were hidden. Without another hesitation, she slammed the door as she left.

I stammered for words, but I was ashamed of my actions too much. I considered that she might be safer away from me anyway, and I let her go.

My head spun with all the fury of my wolf, and the inner conflict with the man who wanted to offer her the patience she deserved. I could never force her to love me. I knew it in my heart, and what's more, I would never want to force her even if I could.

I was stunned. Her words stung me, and I felt like a terrible man to treat her like that. My cursed wolf had gotten the better of me one time, and the she-wolf I loved had been hurt by it. She was gone, and I was afraid that in spite of everything we'd been through together, she might never trust me again.

Alyson's POV

I was running back home from Ryan's mansion, wiping tears from my eyes. For the first time, I didn't care if I were exposed, even if I looked too strange running around in a ripped dress.

The hunger I'd seen in his eyes had been terrifying. I hadn't even been sure if he had wanted to mate, or if he had been after my blood. Or both. He'd been nearly out of control; I was still shaking from the possibility that my slap would have not snapped him out of it. Ariana had been about to come to my rescue, but could we fight off Ryan?

As I scurried home, I saw others watching me out of curiosity or shock, but I couldn't care. I needed to be safe. I was on high alert after meeting Jacob, and then to have Ryan grab me and try to force me to mate with him was all too much for me. I could not trust Ryan. I had thought that I could, but clearly, he just wanted to use me like everyone else. He knew all my secrets, I thought he understood me. I could not hold my tears at bay.

As soon as I was home. Michelle ran out when she heard me crying. She crouched beside me on the floor, trying to get me to admit what was wrong.

"Oh, your dress? What happened?" She looked shocked when she saw it was torn and tied to keep it together. "I'll get you another," She hardly finished saying when she was already running to get me a new dress with full concern over every inch of her. First, I'd met Jacob today and faced the oppressor of my past, and then my lover had nearly taken me roughly without my consent. It was all too much for one day. It seemed as if I would be alone in my revenge after all if I couldn't even trust Ryan.