Chapter 15 - Past
Brent's POV:
Flashback 2 years ago:
"You don't have to do this.." I pleaded with my mate.
"I can't do this. I can't have the pack looking at me day after day waiting for an heir." She stared blankly back at me with almost no emotion. How was she being so calm about this? She was talking about rejecting me and you would've thought she was discussing the weather.
I looked at her with confusion, "Who? Who is making you feel this way? I will take care of it. Just tell me who," I reached out to grab her arms and she stepped back away from me.
"It would be too many to name. I am the Luna, I am supposed to produce an heir and after 3 years of mateship, you have given me nothing to show for it," she coldly implied. Was she blaming me for this?
"We are mates, Maci. A child could be adopted. We can try IVF, we are part human, it could work!" I yelled after she had made a face at the mention of IVF. "It worked perfectly for your sister and her mate. Maybe keep your appointments instead of canceling and we can see what our options are?" I begged. Trying to save this relationship from ending in rejection. Trying to get her to see that we had options.
She shot daggers at me with her eyes, "oh, so this is MY fault then? Well just because my perfect little sister ended up FINALLY having something wrong for once in her life, doesn't mean I do!" She said, raising her voice .
Exasperated and not wanting yet another conversation about her and her sister's tumultuous relationship, "No-no-no, that is not what I am saying. I am just saying that it's hard to get a game plan together when we haven't even found out what the problem is." I argued back.
"Me keeping my appointments fixes nothing," she sneered.
"Oh, but rejection does, Maci?" I cooly asked.
She simply glared back at me, as if I had meant nothing to her. Things had gotten worse and worse the longer our mateship went on and not being able to have a child was the icing on the cake for Maci it seemed. Realizing that it didn't matter what I said, I sighed and dropped my head, staring at the floor, "do whatever you think you need to do, Maci."
I turned to exit the room, walking down the staircase to the main floor and before I could even reach the front door the white hot pain of rejection ripped through my chest...
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Brent present POV:
"Earth to Brent," my beautiful mate giggled, pulling me from my deep thoughts. I was still struggling with how to bring this up. It had been such a stressful day that I wasn't sure when the best time would be. I didn't want to hurt her, but the stress of not telling her was eating me alive. Would she be upset I hadn't told her right away, especially before marking her? I felt like such an asshole. I deserved for her to reject me...
"Alphaaaaa," she sang, taunting me out of my head once again.
"What's got you so wrapped up over there? Are you in a food coma after that ridiculous 32 ounce steak you inhaled?" She laughed.
I smirked, "you mean the steak Tenley ate half of?"
She sheepishly grinned and looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry about that. She loves steak and I would've ordered her one had I been awake."
I turned toward her, tipping her chin up to look at me, "don't you dare apologize. She was perfectly fine. Besides, now I know the way to her heart is through a medium rare sirloin,"I smiled, entangling her hands with mine.
"Well, if it's not the food that has you spacing out, what's going on up there? You've had me blocked for over thirty minutes now," she said as she tapped my forehead.
I leaned in, bringing her hands to my lips and resting them there for a moment.
"You are not my first mate," I blurted out before I could think.
I immediately looked at her face to gauge her expression.
Her eyes widened at my sudden confession, but I was the one stunned, "I know that," she said with slight confusion.
"You, you know?" I stammered out, anxiety rushing out of my body, my shoulders feeling lighter than they have in days.
"I may have been confused at first, but once I realized who you were, it wasn't hard to remember that you also once had a Luna. Actually, I was there the day they took her photo off of the wall where it hung next to yours in the pack house."
She swallowed a drink of water while waiting on me to say something, but I was too stunned to answer. Having stressed for no reason. Why hadn't it occurred to me that she would know I had a Luna?
She took my silence as a chance to continue, "Dalton had just become Gamma following his father's sudden death. We were having dinner with the Alpha and Beta couples. They briefed us on your mateship and let us know that Maci was no longer to be considered Luna,'' she quieted for a moment and then asked, "I'm sorry if this is too bold of me, but why did she leave?"
"My Luna, there will never be a question too bold of you to ask me. I meant what I said, we are equals."
I brought her hands up to my mouth, pressing them against my lips. I closed my eyes, breathing in her scent to settle my nerves.
Clearing my throat I finally continued, "she rejected me and - " before I could continue she pulled her hands from mine.
"What? What is it?" I softly pleaded for her to explain her sudden change in demeanor.
After a moment too long she finally responded with one more plea from me, "she rejected you." She said this as a statement and not a question, but I answered it anyway, "yes, she did."
Trying to figure out where this was going, I remained silent in hopes she would speak. It finally paid off, "you must think I am pathetic for trying to kill myself over all of this..." she muttered.
I stood from my chair, sending it clattering to the floor, causing her to jump. I quickly spun her to face me, her legs on either side of me while I settled between her legs. I pulled her into my arms as she rested her cheek against my chest. How did I deserve this woman? I really thought she was going to be extremely upset but I underestimated her once more. She not only understands, but is concerned I am upset at her. She had no clue the power she was capable of. I was putty in her hands and I was going to heal every wound inflicted upon her that caused her to feel as though she deserved my distaste for being driven to madness by another's doing.
"My love," I paused and stroked her back once more, "you were betrayed. You were cheated on while there was still a present bond between you. That is entirely different first of all, and second of all I would have gone crazy had I not had this odd sense, deep down, to hold on to sanity." I battled on how to get to my point, but before I could continue my rambling she was grabbing me by my shirt collar and yanking my mouth down to hers as she pressed forward to reach my lips. She crashed into me with such intensity, I growled, very much liking her primal need for me. I grabbed her around her waist and lifted her to where I was now seated on the bed, feeling beyond grateful that Tenley had elected for a movie night with Nana. Suddenly she was kissing down my jaw and onto my neck, brushing her lips lightly against my mark sending shockwaves over my entire body. I immediately pulled back, holding her by her hair and looking into her eyes, I cleared my throat, "little Luna, if you do not stop I am afraid I'm not going to be able to help myself."
She brought her lips to my ear and simply said, "then don't..." as she rolled her hips against me and that was all it took. I gripped her hair a little harder, biting down on her bottom lip. I pressed my tongue into her mouth as she opened her mouth in protest at my sudden gesture. Her sounds of surprise instantly returned to soft moans as I explored her mouth over and over again. I could never get enough of this, I thought as I drank her in. I was absolutely sure of it. Was it even possible to feel this way? Did other wolves feel their mate with such intensity? My thoughts died on the increasing moans of my mate as she continued to roll her hips against me. I began to feel somewhat silly as she drove me to madness by grinding against me, fully clothed. Was I truly this turned on by what my younger self would’ve referred to as 2nd base? Regardless, I was positive I had never been this turned on in my life and I am clearly not a virgin.
She began pulling my shirt over my head. I had to help her get it completely off due to our height difference. I teased her for a moment before finally tossing it to the floor. She had greedily pulled me back into her as I began to remove her nightgown as well. She pulled back and finished ripping it off of herself. I smiled, breathless at her neediness for me, very much enjoying it.
Keeping her on my lap I pulled us up to the head of the bed where I lay against the pillows with her straddling me. I placed my hands in her hair, pulling her toward me, capturing her mouth once more.
She began to pull at my belt buckle and I rested my hand on her cheek, making her pause to look at me for a moment, "we do not have to do this if you do not feel up to it." I rubbed my thumb along the bruising. I didn't care how turned on I was, I needed her to know that I could wait if she needed me to.
"I'm okay, unless you're not wanting to," she said hesitantly as she began to climb off of my lap.
I grabbed her hips, digging my fingers into her hips and growled, "oh, Luna, you have no clue how much I want you. I just don't want to hurt you."
"I'll tell you if I need to stop, how about that?" She offered, and I couldn't refuse.
With her permission to continue, I ripped her panties from her body and lifted her just enough to pull my pants down, I settled her back to where our cores were aligned.
"Hey there Mr. Alpha, those were a good pair of panties..." she said breathlessly.
"Yeah, and I have you a closet full more of them back home," I said, as I rose her up to settle myself at her entrance. Slowly gliding her body down onto me as she hissed, sucking air between her teeth.
"Did I hurt you?" I asked in alarm, ceasing all movement.
She shook her head, "no, no I'm fine, just, um, adjusting. It's been a while." She quietly admitted.
I continued to press into her slowly, taking my time until we were one. She rolled her hips into me and I swear I saw the Moon Goddess herself. For fucks sake I was going to have to do a better job of controlling myself.
I grabbed her hips and merely held her against me, allowing her to take full control of the moment. I wanted her in every way, but I wanted this all to be on her terms, at her pace.
She buried her face in my neck, sweet moans of pleasure filling the room as she chased her climax. I held on as long as I could. I was overwhelmed by her in every sense and my resolve was quickly crumbling. Finally I felt her clench around me and I took this as my chance. I pressed into her. Meeting her move for move, "harder" she cried out, and that's all it took. I drove us both to pure, incomprehensible, bliss.
I held her closely to me, savoring every part of the moment as she lay her head in the crook of my neck.
"Would you like to take a shower?" I asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence, brushing her hair out of her face. I noticed the way the moonlight danced across her skin, having to fight myself from taking her once more.
She nodded and I walked us both to the bathroom, carrying her with her legs wrapped around my waist. I sat her on the small countertop and grabbed some towels, laying them next to her. I tested the water, and then helped guide her into the shower.
"Would it be okay if I washed you?" I asked as I lathered up the rag with soap. Male wolves found immense gratification in grooming their females.
Her cheeks flamed red with embarrassment, but she slowly nodded her head and allowed me to clean her.
As I washed her I saw other small bruises that littered her body where he'd been rough with her earlier in the day, causing a growl to leave my chest as I stood back up. "What's wrong?" She looked up at me, concern etched across her face.
"Nothing, my love." I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Reminding myself she would never feel that pain again
'Over our dead body,' my wolf grumbled.
'Exactly'
"I'm going to go ahead and get out and get ready for bed, I'm starting to feel dizzy," my mate sleepily uttered, pulling me from my thoughts and conversation with my wolf.
Concern filled me, "here let me help you." I wrapped my arms around her waist and helped steady her at the sink after wrapping her in a towel.
"Just a minute. Stay right there at the sink, I'll be right out," I spoke over my shoulder as I stepped back into the stream of the shower. Damn I was ready to get her out of this place. Small bed, a small shower, everything was just...small...
I showered quickly, stepping out to see that my mate had just finished brushing her teeth and was now seated on the toilet lid. She waited on me to do the same and I carried her, bridal style, back to the bed.
We dressed in comfortable silence, only being broken by the gasp of my mate.
I turned to look at her and her eyes were huge with concern, "we didn't use protection, and and and I haven't taken birth control in-in weeks." She was frantic and I quickly crossed the room to kneel in front of her.
"Hey," I said softly as I tucked her hair behind her ear. "Shhhhh," I soothed my mate. "Listen, if I'm going to be extremely honest here, it's a very big if..." I dropped my head at the last part of what I had been keeping from her. I took a breath and continued, "if you are pregnant, you will be fully and completely cared for and loved immensely." I rubbed my thumb across her cheek as her eyebrows drew together in confusion, silently asking me to explain.
I squeezed her knees, willing myself to finish, "Maci rejected me because I couldn't get her pregnant."