RAYLA
What? I intended to say the word out loud but instead it just echoed in my mind. I stared at my Mom, gone were the soft composed features of her face and now replaced by worried lines, she has unshed tears in her eyes, this made her look older than her age making me feel terrible. "You heard me right? You are going to reject Damien and then we are going to put all these behind us like it never happened. I'll personally make sure that these rumours remain purely a rumour." She continued taking my silence as an agreement. "What?" I finally muttered the word out loud. "You care about me so much, you are going to let me go through two rejection in one day? Have you stopped to wonder why the moon goddess paired us together or all you and Jordan are worried about is your reputation?" I demanded. She grabs my shoulders, shaking me for a few seconds. "I don't think you understand what's at stake here. Do you have any idea how people would look at you? They will tag you two weirdos and us disgusting for allowing it. It goes beyond Moonshine, what about all the formal events we attended as family where we introduce you two as siblings? What about Jenna? Did you think about how this would affect her?" "I'm not saying I want to be mated to Damien or anything. I'm just tired of hurting, when Brandon rejected me, it felt like I was going to die. A pain I'm sure you relate to when Dad died, how could you even wish I go through that in a day? Why not give me time to recover from Brandon's rejection?" Tears welled up my face and yet it was clear that she didn't understand. "I'm not just your mother anymore Rayla, I'm a wife and a Luna. In as much as I relate to what you are going through, this cannot go on for another day. If you want to be mated to him then you do realise for you two to be together I have to reject Jordan..." "Will you be happy then? After taking away your mother's last shred of happiness? What about your sister? If you are able to live with yourself after all these then go ahead." She cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, while adjusting herself too. I watch her go, dropping helplessly back on my bed. Why am I so hesitant to reject Damien? The idea of rejecting him makes it difficult for me to breathe and yet my Mom was right. We would never be right, he was my stepbrother, we were raised as close as siblings without blood relationship should be. Did I commit a crime so big that the moon goddess decided to punish me like this? I glanced at the door with blurry eyes as it opened and Damien stepped in. I immediately turned my back to him, drying my tears so he doesn't know how affected I was about all these. "What are you doing here? If you are here to reject me then let's get on with it..." I gasped in surprise when he pulled me up. "Is that what you want?" He demanded. "Are you seriously asking me this? It shouldn't even be a question, you should have rejected me the second you found out we were soul mates. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to our family? To the pack?" "I don't give a flying fuck what happens to this family or the pack. You are mine Rayla and I'm not going to reject you." He retorted, taking me aback. I didn't think he was serious about this whole thing, I thought he was going to use it as a joke to mess with me and have a laugh about it but clearly I was wrong. His hand that was wrapped around my wrist felt electric and I glanced down at it, when did things change so much between us? When we found out we were mates? Yet I didn't believe that myself. It has always been there, no matter how much our parents wanted us to be siblings, it would never work because the mating bond just surfaced whatever we had between us. "You felt it." He said, his voice low and seductive. Like the devil seducing you into sin, you badly wanted to commit but hesitating. I jerked my hand from his. "You might not care about this family or the pack but I do. I have been treated badly all my life because of my rank and you think I'm going to make it worse by accepting you as my mate?" I scoffed. "You are mine, I would never let anyone disrespect you." He paused, his blue eyes pinning me. "You said they treated you terribly, why would you care so much about those same people's opinions?" He steps closer, I didn't back away this time. He tipped my head back, just like he did in the cafeteria earlier. "I have wanted you for so long it hurts. You think now that I have the chance to claim you, I'll give it up?" I swallowed hard, wanting the magnetic pull between us to go away. "Did you ask Brandon to reject me?" I asked even though I knew what the answer would be. "Yes." He replied without any ounce of hesitation. "How could you!" I shoved him away. "You made him publicly humiliate me! Why? To make sure everyone knows about the rejection or you claiming me?" "I think you should be more concerned about why he would choose to listen to me and reject you. I'm not going to apologise for my actions because hell! I'd do it over and over again...to...to have you in my arms like this." He pulled me closed, crushing his mouth on mine. "You... shouldn't do this." I cried, making no move to push him away. "I know." He replied in between kisses. "We should be rejecting each other." I cried again hoping to talk some sense into him, knowing deep down he was past reasoning with at this point. The only response I got was a satisfied moan as he backed me up against the wall to kiss me harder. I felt my control slipping from my grasp, I tried to stay strong, I really tried but for whatever reason I wasn't strong enough to fight this magnetic pull between us. Even as my mother's words echo through my mind, my lips softened giving him more access, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back knowing we've both crossed a line of no return! . . . TBCRAYLA Something clicked in my mind and without giving it any further thought, I pushed him away. This was wrong! My mind couldn't stop screaming how wrong it was and the fact that Damien doesn't seem to care made everything so much worse. "We can't..." I blinked away the tears pooling in my eyes, while turning my back on him.The intensity of his gaze brought out something I could never be brave enough to admit to myself, talk more of anyone. The fact still remains that, no matter what this things between us was, we were wrong, we didn't make sense and we needed to put a stop to it. His hands came to rest on my shoulder, slowly turning me around to face him. "We already established that we can't but we will anyway." He pointed out, lowering his head to kiss me. I jerked away. "Damien please! Think about our parents, the pack..." I paused sensing that my words were getting through to him so, I decided to try another approach. "I know you don't care about your reputation because th
RAYLA His tongue swept lazily across my bottom lip, causing me to let out a breathless moan in response. He kissed me like he had all the time in the world to do so, no hint of the fierce possessiveness he had shown in front of everyoneClosing my eyes, I let myself slip into the moment. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the gentle and playful way he nibbled on my lips. The way his tongue swept across my upper lip, sending waves of pleasure down my body until he bit me! "Ouch!" I wretched my mouth from his, shoving at his chest to get him off me but he didn't budge. "That was for thinking you could run away from me. You are mine Rayla, therefore you need to understand there is no running from me." He finally pushes himself off, looking down at me with an amused expression. I shot him a glare as I got up from the ground, wondering what the hell is wrong with me! I just made out with my step-brother on a dirt filled ground, how shameless can one be? "I'm not yours." I hisse
RAYLA After pacing around in my room for another five minutes, deciding whether or not to join everyone for breakfast. I knew I couldn't avoid them forever but each time I saw my Mom, it felt like the greatest betrayal to look into her eyes and act like nothing happened. Avoiding her was only going to make her suspicious, so getting my shits together, I glance at the mirror one more time and hurried down to the dining hall. Deep down, facing everyone at school is where the real courage comes in. "Good morning." I acknowledged everyone, announcing my presence. At my voice, Mom and Jordan looked in my direction with a welcoming smile. "I was starting to think you wouldn't join us." She remarked, gesturing for me to sit next to her. Even without looking in Damien's direction, I could feel his eyes on me and it took every self-control I possessed at that moment not to look at him. Also, I was afraid that if I do, Jordan and Mom might see right through our bullshits. "I agree t
RAYLA My friends stood protectively by my side and I felt myself tense up, I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with Brandon on a Monday morning. I took a deep breath, glancing back and forth between my friends, I nodded for us not to give in regardless. Just as I was about to walk past Brandon, he shoved me back, causing me to stagger. Fiona immediately darted forward but I stopped her, not wanting her to engage with him, this was between Brandon and I. "Is there something I can help you with?" I asked, finally breaking the silence. "The nerve of you to show your face after the trick you pulled with your step-brother. I should have listened to everyone and shouldn't have accepted an Omega as my mate. You have truly proven to be as pathetic as your ranks are!" He snarled, his fist clenching in anger. The crowd laughed at what he said and I felt my face flushed with embarrassment. "Look Brandon, I don't want to fight with you. You rejected me in front of everyone so? What mor
RAYLA "Come here..." I said after taking a deep breath, he let me lead him towards one of the desks and obediently sat down without questions, the action made me smile inwardly. I dropped my backpack beside him, fishing out for the first aid kit I always carried with me. I set everything down on a different desk and got to work, cleaning his wounds so they could heal quickly. "Don't tell me you carry that around, what are you... A nurse?" He teased breaking the heavy silence between us. I glanced at the wall clock to find out how much time I have left before the next class starts. "Not really." I muttered, not wanting to go into details about the reason.Sensing my hesitation, he lifted my face upward, forcing me to look at him. "You're hiding something and before you deny it, you should know I can feel every one of your emotions through our mate-bond so, don't lie to me." I made a frustrated sound at the back of my throat, letting go of his hand. "Please don't make me talk." Put
RAYLA I came out of my hiding spot after both Jordan and Damien had left the family room. However, Mom was still seated in the same position when I made my entrance noticeable. Pretending like I just arrived, I looked around as if searching for something. "What's that all about? Are they fighting again?" "What do you think? See? This is one of the reasons why I urged you to reject him. That boy is nothing but trouble." She responded, standing up. "He had someone beat up some poor girls." My eyes snapped up to hers in disbelief but then I had to remind myself she didn't know the full context of the situation but still, I hated the way she was quick to paint Damien the villain. I know he wasn't an easy guy but to outright just make him the villain in a story she doesn't know the full context made me a bit disappointed in her. Not wanting to say or do anything that might make the situation worse, I nodded sorrowfully before making an exit. I quickly freshened up and after making su
RAYLA My heart dropped when I came down for dinner only to see it was just Mom and Damien by the dining area. I haven't fully walked in yet, but I could feel the tension in the air. I looked around for Jordan, half expecting him to walk through the door any second from now but sadly, he didn’t. I pulled out a chair, glancing in Mom's direction as I sat down. "Where's Jenna and Alpha Jordan?" I asked her. "She retired early and Jordan is occupied with Alpha duties, he won't be joining us." She answered, smiling at me. Despite how tense the situation is, I was a bit surprised to find her in a good mood. Not wanting to do anything that would ruin that, I ignored Damien as well. "While we are still on the subject, we will be joining him at Moonshadow pack tomorrow night for some charity event, please be ready." She announced, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I'll pass." Damien responded without heat and my eyes immediately snapped to Mom's. Her face set on a grimace immediately
RAYLA The following morning, Damien didn't show up in the dining hall and when asking one of the servants about his whereabouts, she looked at me weirdly before answering that he left for school. Which made me a tad sad because I have gotten used to him waiting for me. Could he still be mad about last night? I wondered, stepping into the dining hall, I lost my appetite as I glanced at the empty space usually occupied by him. "Are you excited for the party, Rayla?" Jenna's little excited voice dragged my attention away from my sad thoughts. "Baby, it's not a party." I informed her. "It's a charity event, meaning it for a good cause, I don't think we can refer to it as a party. Where's Mom?" I inquired looking around for any sign of her. "I don't know." She shrugs, her eyes sparkling again once more. At that moment, she looked very much like my Mom. It still hurt to think that ever since we became a family with Damien and his dad, Mom hardly ever has time for me except it includes
RAYLA I snatched my wrist from his grasp without struggle because he let me go. I looked down at my bleeding tutor hoping he’s not dead. People were out of class and staring at us with wide eyes, him most especially, I guess there goes the idea of me trying to protect him! I tried to rush to the tutor but Damien dragged me back then proceeded to take me outside of the building. “Stop!” I screamed once we were out of the parking lot. “You can’t threatened my Mom and think that’s okay! What if that man loses his life? He was just trying to protect me!” I hissed as anger stir up inside me. “Whatever beef you have is between us, you don’t have to drag other people in it.”“Are you fucking with me Rayla?” His expression turned murderous. “Well I guess this should be a consolation that your mother is still breathing right now because of you! When my Dad got married to her, I didn’t like her but did I try to get in the way of their shitty relationship? No… if she tries to get in between mi
RAYLA After Mom left, I turned to Ma, my gaze fixed on her accusingly. “You knew she was trying to get me back here, she went as far as blackmailing me and you let her?” I was disappointed, I thought she was on my side! Now the only family support I thought I had was slowly slipping away, I guess I deserve it for being such a shitty person. “You make it hard to defend you, both of you! The idea was for you to wait, I was going to talk to them but when I came later it was to find you gone. What were you thinking running off like that? Damien is the leader of a gang of rogues, do you have any idea the kind of danger you were putting yourself in?” She snapped at me, her tone filled with both anger and disappointment. “How was I supposed to defend you when you pulled a stunt like that?” “When has talking ever settled anything with them? You don’t get it do you? Ma, her blackmailing me here is proof enough that no amount of talking will achieve anything with them, it was why I chose to
RAYLA I stared at the alarm clock on the nightstand, wordlessly watching each second tickle by, my thoughts far away from me. The more minutes tickled by, the more aware of how many hours I had with Damien, who happens to be asleep. I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking away from the alarm to look at the ceiling instead. I still felt a bit sore between my thighs, a constant reminder of what we did a few hours ago. My face heated at the memory, making me silently clear my throat as I stared out of the window, it was getting dark meaning it will be dawn soon. Slipping out of bed, I grabbed Damien’s shirt and slipped in on, looking down at the length to decide if it was okay for me to walk around in. Since I was heading downstairs where I’m bound to run into anyone, I decided to wear a skirt for added length before making my way downstairs. The place was almost empty except for a few servants going about their duties, I paused by the stairs landing. “Excuse me, do you have any
RAYLA Looking at him hurts, as we lay down side by side on the bed, so I turned my face the other way, Mom’s words echoing in my mind. Killian would be so furious when he finds out but what was I supposed to do? Finding out he killed someone at the age of seventeen had not only left me stunned but speechless because then it also proved he has been living this double life for as young as the age of seventeen. There was a pause in my thought when I felt him pull me against his chest, cuddling me softly as our limbs tangled with one another. My eyes shut on their own accord as he buried his face into the hollow of my neck, sniffing me in a way that made me tickled. One of his hands splayed across my stomach, running his fingers on my flesh lazily. I didn’t want to lie here with my own thoughts while guilt ate me alive so, I said the first thing that came to mind when I opened my mouth. “So…your first time huh?” I teased, turning to face him now, my breath hitching against my throat wh
RAYLA I stood outside the door, debating whether I should go inside or not. At the las minute, I decided it would be better to just leave him alone for the time being, I made my way back downstairs and still found Nyx in the same position I left her, except that she was sitting this time and munching on a cookie. “That was quick.” She remarked, not bothering to hide her amusement. I grit my teeth in anger,telling myself not to react because as much as I can’t stand her, I still needed her help to be able to get out of the pack due to the invisible force field she had around it. “You said the barrier will weaken tomorrow, is that correct?” I asked to be sure whether I’ll need her help with that or not. “Why? Going somewhere? Anyways the barrier won’t weaken until twelve in the morning.” She leaned closer. “You need my help.” She was quick to figure it out, possibly putting the piece together after my outburst earlier. “Isn’t that the reason you were employed? Although I don’t
RAYLA Despite our teasing remarks when we were out on a walk that indicates we couldn’t wait to get back to the house and ravished each other. Instead we decided to play monopoly once we arrived back at the house which took a dark turn pretty quickly, bringing out both Damien and Hunter's competitive side. When they voted for a second round of the game, I sweetly declined and took a step back, telling them I prefer to watch instead. Nyx had taken it upon herself to call me every synonym of the word coward, my usual response was to ignore her but Damien had merely cast her a dark look, that made her shut up immediately. While they argue and yell at each other about the game, I was texting my friends in the group chat as they brought me up to date on what has been happening at school. Apparently Brandon was still being as bitter as the day I left, he goes around telling anyone who cares to listen that I ran away with my step-brother because our parents found out about us. The fa
RAYLA I was surprised when I woke up the following morning and found Damien still sleeping, mainly because I wasn’t used to waking up in the morning and finding him there. The healer really knows her stuff because placing him on bed rest definitely forced him to relax. I slowly climbed out of bed so I didn't wake him up. Several minutes later when I emerged from the bathroom after brushing my teeth and doing my other business, he was still asleep. I went downstairs to have breakfast, Hunter was the only one present at the breakfast table when I walked in, I slumped down dejectedly on one of the empty seats. Words couldn’t describe how much I missed going to school, I missed hanging out with my friends and doing random stuff even though I never voiced it out to anyone, I mean what’s the point? Just because I made the decision to run away from home doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to miss it. I looked up upon hearing my name. “Did you say something?” I asked to be sure. “Yeah, I was as
RAYLA It was night time before Damien finally woke up and was immediately moved to his bedroom. His wound had completely healed up by then but the healer still insisted he need to be on bed rest for another three days to which Hunter had made a joke about. It was half true though because we all knew he was going to hate the idea. Guilt was already eating me alive after I finished talking to Mom and she gave me three days max, the same number of days it will take for Damien to be out of bed rest and for Nyx magic barrier to weaken.“You can’t tell Damien that I asked our parents for help.” I begged, pulling him aside so Damien wouldn’t hear us. “At least wait until I’m out of here before you do, if he knows then he will never let me leave and I can’t go back on my word.” Hunter stared at me with his arms across his chest. “What did you do? And besides, I can’t keep something like that from him, if I don’t tell him, someone else will.” He pointed out. I brushed my hair away from my
RAYLA It has been more than two hours of not hearing any news about Damien’s condition after the healer slammed the door on our face. We stood outside her room, pacing around and waiting for news when one of the border guards hurried inside toward Hunter, a panicked look across his face. “Beta! There are more troops approaching the pack from the north!” He declared and I watched as Hunter’s face darkened. “More army? That can’t be good, Damien is in no condition to fight!” I rubbed my face, hoping it would smooth away the frustration crawling at my guts and yet again I was made to wonder why Damien chose this time to announce his pack knowing how many enemies they had but then I recalled he had mentioned not too long ago that the pack was running out of supplies. “There’s no need to worry Rayla, stay here in case the healer has some news, I’ll lead our army.” He informed me before taking his leave. “Wait!” Nyx called after him and then hurried to meet him halfway across the room.