She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have s*x. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for s*x; he’d have to understand.
She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents’ files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes.
It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it.
She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna’s office.
Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before.
She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her.
Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed.
Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes.
Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack.
Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal.
Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened?
Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere.
She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him.
She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit.
She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella.
Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.”
There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance.
“Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself.
“Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate.
Belladonna
She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her?
Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all.
Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal.
That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules.
Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that.
She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.”
He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now.
“Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply.
She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have s*x, or she was in heat.
Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna.
Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this.
She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite.
She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed.
She was his Luna and f**k buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know.
Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.”
Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.”
Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya’s snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain.
She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a b***h, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good s*x. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she’d not expected it to hurt so much.
She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon’s Charm wasn’t really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her.
It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute.
Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be.
“Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.”
“And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her.
“I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.”
He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack.
She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.”
“Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years.
Parker
For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her.
Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered.
Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see.
Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be.
Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions.
He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week.
They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all.
Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all.
Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth.
The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled.
She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager.
She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone.
She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age.
She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time.
Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she’d looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha.
It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t.
He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn’t out to hurt her.
Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man’s head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his.
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