Mala found Alpha Aston in her hotel room an hour later. He sat down and looked right at her. “I want to ask you some things, Mala. I also want you to answer them.”
Mala nodded at him, she’d never explained what had happened to her, to him. Who her Mate was, though the council had outed her on that account. He was now curious himself, it seemed.
He had gotten quite an eye full in that fight of hers, had seen and heard the way Hudson had reacted to her in that fight as well. Everyone had, then there was the way Hudson had tried to talk to her. Aston had told her he’d been watching the man himself. She found it curious that he didn’t think Hudson was of the same opinion as she was, about their so-called Mate Bond and its rejection.
“When did you turn 18? How close to the full moon was it?” He asked her.
It was not the question she was expecting him to ask, but would do as he asked and tell him what he wanted to know, “The day after the full moon. It would have set and the time frame passed, then” She shrugged "my time of birth would have been like 20 or 30 minutes later." She answered him and saw him think about that for several minutes before nodding his head.
“He knew what you were, during that fight, it was very clear to all you were his Mate. But my recollection has it you arrived at my pack 2 days after the full moon, after your 18th birthday.”
“Correct.” She nodded.
Again, he was quiet for a long minute as he looked at her, then he sighed heavily “He took you for himself, didn’t he? Before you could truly know what, he was, but he knew what you were correct?”
“Yes, and I hazarded a guess, the way he looked at me when he came to my room. Then I knew, because I couldn’t…she, couldn’t stop it, Tamala could beat him in a fight, but his touch.” Mala shook her head. Still hated to know what his touch had felt like to her.
“You’re bond, you could feel it, but not scent him correct?”
“Yes, I don’t understand that, never could. Suki also sat up and stared at him when his wolf surfaced. I knew because of her reaction to his wolf. It was the first time she’d looked at his. She never really cared before that, about any wolves, to be honest.”
“Your birthday was so close to the full moon, that it affected you anyway, couldn’t scent your mate officially but could feel something, the slightest of tingling, I imagine would have drawn you to him.”
“Again yes. He also took great pleasure in telling me, he would be rejecting me and banishing me come the full moon. So, I knew he knew, even though I’d picked it before he actually touched me. Saw how angry he was that I’d let another man touch me, a human boy. I was supposed to go out on a date with that night.” Sighed “ticked him off, his Beta Jet tried to warn me, I think, without stating the truth but…I was used to being treated poorly by that pack, that Hudson was always ticked off about me. I told him to piss off. I had a date, I didn’t care, was out to get him to banish me. So I could come to your pack sooner. It didn’t go down so well.”
Saw Aston nod his head “I imagine that it did more than tick him off, likely Mala, if you were kissing someone else, did you?”
She nodded “A lot actually.”
Heard him sigh “Then it is likely that he felt it, would have caused him pain, because he already knew what you were to him. Had scented you out in all likelihood the night before you turned 18. Got hit with pains of betrayal, even though you didn’t know what he was to you. He knew.”
Mala stared at her Alpha now, then snorted with amusement “Well, if I’d known that I’d have let Ken, get much more handsy than I did that afternoon.”
Saw Aston shake his head but say nothing, probably understood why she said it, considering how she was treated by the pack, by her own Mate. “Who rejected who?”
“He rejected me, about two minutes after the moon set.”
That made him frown, “Suki didn’t rip right out of you? As the moon set.”
“I asked her not to shift. Knew he’d never reject us if he saw her. Suki knew this too, and wanted the rejection as much as I did to be honest. Understood why we needed it.”
“Oh, you were right on that.” Aston nodded “No Alpha would reject a Goddess Gifted Luna like you. Make a very strong and powerful Alpha, Luna bond and strengthen the pack. You would not have just been a Luna. But a Warrior Luna.”
“I know.” She nodded and she did know.
“You accepted his rejection.”
“I did, without hesitation.”
“I get the feeling he saw Suki though. Am I right?”
“He did.” Mala nodded “The pain of rejection on top of the pain of her trying to deny her first shift was too great for her to bare, the minute I issued my acceptance, and we were severed from each other completely, she ripped right out of me. I laughed at him, at the first crack of my shift, didn’t even really feel the pain of it, was more than amused by the thought of him hearing it, watching him realising what was happening, what he’d done, to himself. His expression was priceless, to say the least. Complete and utter shock registered on his face. Then I issued my rejection of the entire pack and went rogue. He thought he could touch Suki at that, reached out to do just that. I swear we saw regret on his face as Suki snarled all aggression at him, didn’t want him touching her, and then Suki ran the hell away from him and that pack. He may have seen her, but he doesn’t know her name, no one in that pack does.”
“He didn’t come right after you?” He was frowning at her.
“Not that I am aware of, though the last thing we saw, was him clutching his chest, kneeling on the ground, heard his wolf howl in pain. But we just kept on running, we were no longer bound to him or the pack anymore. Didn’t want to be. Neither of us.”
Aston stared at her for a long hard minute then stated flatly “It’s not over Mala. Alpha Hudson wants you back.”
“I’m not his anymore, he can go shove it.”
“Mm, that’s pretty much what I told him. Though I put it a little more politely so, Alpha to Alpha. He also requested permission to come the pack to talk to you. I declined that on your behalf.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” And she did, did not want to sit down and talk with Hudson, not now, not ever.
“Just so you know, Mala. I don’t think it’s over. He had no idea his father had stopped me from coming to get you, or you from coming to my pack at sixteen and a half. Why do you think your Alpha at the time did that?”
“Because he’s not so dumb, unlike his heir, I could mind-link to pack members, even though I was considered wolf-less.”
“Ah, yes, a tell-tale sign that you have a wolf, just not emerged yet.”
“Yes, he would stare at me sometimes, long and hard. But he never stopped the pack from shunning me or hating me. I heard some say. I could mind-link solely because of my bloodline, how strong it was. My mother and father were both Elite Warriors from long lines of elite warriors themselves.” She shrugged.
“It doesn’t really work like that, Mala. Likely that accounts for your skills and determination though, even wolf-less.”
“I know.”
“Your Alpha at the time; he would have known this…how’d he treat you?”
“The same as everyone else did. His Luna was worse though, hated me right from the minute I couldn’t shift. Also, she didn’t like the way her Mate would stare at me sometimes, like he was trying to figure it out. She hit me with her car a few times.”
“Hmm, likely he was trying to sense out Suki, but couldn’t. Some Alphas would have been able to, some not, would depend on their own bloodlines, pure blooded or not. As for his Luna, that’s just cruel.” He shook his head.
“I don’t think he could.” And she knew her Luna had been cruel. Did not want a mother-in-law like that.
“I agree, because if he had, he would never have allowed a fighter like you to be shunned at all. That would just be completely stupid. One like yourself, so strong and capable, able to take down his own heir. He would have been hoping you were the boy's Mate. If not, he would have been hoping to get you to agree to be the boy's chosen Mate. To strengthen the pack.”
“They don’t know I have a wolf. His Beta Jet, was very shocked when Suki snarled at him before breakfast the other day. I’m guessing the guard on duty at the gate that night, was Alpha Ordered by Hudson not to say anything about my shift. Jet looked really pissed off about not knowing. I laughed a lot and told him Hudson knew, didn’t really go down so well with him.”
“I’m not surprised, seeing as he knew what you were supposed to be, his Luna and a fierce one at that.”
Mala shrugged “You yourself know. Mate Bonds aren’t always what they are cracked up to be. I don’t think the Goddess knows what she’s doing sometimes.”
Saw Aston laugh softly “I don’t think that’s the case, I think she pairs wolves together, to try and make one better, become a better person, or is…given someone to give them the opportunity to be the best they can be.”
“Really, I think she half asses it sometimes. Or nods off while pairing us up.” Shook her head “No-one’s perfect, I suppose, not even the Goddess herself.”
Saw Aston laugh heartily now. “Well I guess that could also be true, let’s go down and get some dinner. Before Ben comes in here to have his way with you again.”
Mala chuckled “He won’t not now, was mostly just trying to tick the ex off.”
“Oh, it worked. I saw it, and so did Ben. For that matter. So did his own pack.” The man stood up. “I have one more question.”
“Ask away.” She stood to follow him out the room.
“Dain? Your brother from what I got.”
“Yes, the eldest in the Lucas family. They all shunned me to, I’m not part of that family anymore. I’m a Luca now.”
“Alright, do you think he’ll go back and tell your parents?”
“I doubt it.” She shrugged “Why?”
“Wondering if I will be fielding calls from them to try and see you. Is all.”
“Decline that along with anything and everything to do with his pack. I have a home and a pack I love. I’m not about to go leaving you or your pack Alpha.”
“Good to hear, I’ll do just that. Do you want to know if I am fielding calls?”
“No, I don’t care. Leave me out of it.” She stated as they walked into the restaurant to join the rest of their pack for dinner, and she didn’t care about any of it. She was, as she stated, Mala Luca, and she’d been born in the Arena, not to a pack.
Found Ben trailing her to her room, looked right at him and smiled as he growled right at her, then he smiled right back as she opened the door. She guessed Aston was right, saw him strip completely naked as did she and found herself pulled into him gently, kissed her long and slow like, not the normal.
“Ben?”
“Shh, let me have you the way you deserve to be had.” Looked right down at her and smiled, “tonight Mala, will be all about you, I want to hear you sigh softly and moan from light touches and show you how it should have been for you.”
Then his mouth was on hers gently and slow, she wound her arms around him and, true to his word, everything that night, his touch was soft and feather light, trailed soft kisses down her body, and tasted her slowly till she was moaning and clutching her hands in his hair begging him to take her, even then he did that with slow purpose his mouth on hers the whole time.
Slept soundly in his arms that night afterwards, she had sighed with contentment as she’d fallen asleep. He was a good lover. That was for sure. If he’d been gifted to her, she wouldn’t have rejected him.