Chapter 3 A Strong Luna

Jaque POV

.

.

He suddenly got up, not minding that he was naked.

He paced back and forth in front of me, feeling confused and stressed.

"Adam, what's the matter?" I asked, a bit worried. I sat up and clenched the duvet tight to cover my bareness. My gaze was fixed on him.

He abruptly stared at me, his mouth hung ajar. He shook his head when he saw a blood spot on the mattress.

"Jaque!" he muttered. I could barely hear his voice, but it sounded gloomy. "I...I didn't expect this!" what?!

I got up still holding the duvet and ambled towards him, but he stepped back. Was he avoiding me now? "Adam, we're mates. This is bound to happen. What do you mean you didn't expect this?"

He messed his hair, feeling frustrated. A loud groan escaped his lips as he lifted his head like he was asking for an answer from the ceiling. "Why? Why her?"

Why me?! Was that what he meant?

"Why me what?" I questioned. My tone sounded a bit straightforward.

It took him a while before he dropped his ridiculous answer. "Jaque, what happened to us last night was a mistake!" was he f*cking kidding me?

"Mistake?!" my tears were about to leak. Except for my mom, no one had ever seen me cry yet.

"Yes, mistake!" he was confident with his words. He stood straight and fixed his gaze at me. "I thought you were Jasmine!"

"What?!" he thought I was my stepsister?! "You thought my stepsister was your mate, and you f*cked last night?!" my mouth went agape with the sudden realization.

Was he expecting Jasmine last night? Was he regretting everything that happened to us?!

"Jaque!" he stepped forward and raised his hand to touch my face, but I moved to the side. He pursed his lips and surrendered. "I'm sorry!" he shook his head, pain was displayed in his blue ocean orbs. "I have to reject you!"

I wobbled as I stepped backward. I felt a sudden dizziness that I held the headboard as my support while clenching the duvet tight. I shook my head countless times. If this was a f*cking nightmare of the day, I would like to wake up now.

"Adam, what do you mean?!" I asked him, my now teary orbs were begging for an explanation.

"I always want your stepsister Jasmine to be my mate and my Luna, not you. Not a half-bred human and wolf. I want my Luna to be strong and beautiful!"

"Strong?" a slight chuckle escaped from my mouth while repeating his words. "Beautiful?!"

"You are beautiful, Jaque. But I want Jasmine. I hope you understand!" his face was stern. "I, Adam Hayes, future Alpha of Blood Moon Pack, reject you, Jaque Davis, to be my mate and my Luna!"

My chest tightened as the string of mate-bond snapped. I looked down at the cold floor, promising myself not to cry, but a snob was so stubborn that it escaped at once... and my voice, as it let out a muffled whimper.

"Adam, please... don't do this!" I beseeched, even I couldn't hear my small voice anymore. I felt like I was drowning.

"Jaque, I can't sacrifice this pack for your sake!" now, there's a hint of anger in his tone. "Don't be selfish!"

Was I selfish? All my life, I had lived for others' happiness and satisfaction. The moon goddess gave me the gift of a mate and even blessed me to be with the mate I ever wanted since we were children.

But this mate didn't want me. He wanted someone else. Only because for him, I was half-human, not strong, and not beautiful enough to his liking.

Did I deserve this? I shook my head while it hung low. The tears I was trying to control fell freely to the floor. I pursed my lips tight, trying to control another whimper.

"Okay, I can't do this right now!" his aggressive tone made me step back and glance at him. "If you're not ready yet to accept my rejection, I will give you time to think about it!" he turned around and was about to head to the bathroom when I spoke, giving him my final words.

"I accept!" my voice was almost broken.

He turned back around and faced me. His mouth hung open, and his eyes meant something I couldn't define. "You accept?!" he asked like he didn't expect it.

I stepped forward and stood straight in front of him. Although my legs wobbled, I didn't show it. I wanted him to know that I was not weak even if I wasn't a pure-blood she-wolf.

"I, Jaque Davis, member of Blood Moon Pack, accept your rejection to be your mate and Luna of this pack!" my gaze was glued on him, who at the moment, couldn't utter any words.

I picked up my clothes on the floor and put them on, keeping a word to myself not to step into this room again. When I was done, I saw Adam still standing with all of his glory near the bathroom door. He was just staring at me. I clenched my sandals tight and lifted my head, "See you around, Alpha!" hopefully, those were the last words I would speak to him today. For I didn't want to see any signs of him the whole day or weeks.

It was a good thing that when I went downstairs, there was no one around. If not, they would see who Adam had s*x with last night. I didn't want to be the center of scandal or limelight.

However, just I was about to open the main door, a grip stopped me. It was Adam with his black shirt and black short pants on.

"Jaque, I don't want anyone to know that you're my mate, and I rejected you!" he whispered while glancing around.

What about the fact that we f*cked and you're my first? I wanted to burst that out loud on his face, but what could benefit me except for more embarrassment and pathetically stupid daily life of bullying.

"Okay, I understand, Alpha!" I just uttered. My tears were gone. I guessed I wasn't weak after all.

He was about to say more, but I had already turned my back on him.

As I stepped out of the Hayes Mansion, I promised myself to step out of Adam's life for good. Though it was hard, I had to accept the fact that I wasn't meant to be protected by my mate. I wasn't meant to be loved by him. I was meant to protect myself, to love myself, and to not have a mate at all.

.

It took me 20 minutes to walk to our two-story home, and upon opening the door, I heard loud voices at the dining room.

"Where can she be?" that was Lauren, and she was upset. "Louis, that daughter of yours from your mistress is too much!" she was talking about me.

"Daddy, don't tell me you're not going to punish her. She went out last night. What if she went to the ball? What if she was there?!" Jasmine's tone was frantic.

A sneer appeared on my lips while listening to these nonsense blubbers. To add more bruise to their so-called wounded pride, I ambled to the dining table with my head high.

It was my father who noticed me first. He accidentally dropped his cutlery to the floor.

"Jaque?!" his eyes were almost popping out. What, daddy, did you see mom's ghost from me?!

The mother and daughter duo followed his gaze and were also shocked when they saw me wearing a dress and holding a mask in my hand.

"You left the house last night?! How dare you disobey us!"

PAK!!!

Lauren's palm hit my face, making my head move to the side. That was more painful than the slap yesterday, but it seemed like I was already immune to physical pain.

"Lauren!" my dad roared, trying to stop his mate from attacking me. Lauren backed out for a while, but it was Jasmine who pursued me this time.

"You b!tch! How dare you? How dare you go to the ball?" she pulled my hair like she had gone crazy. I screamed in pain and tried to stop her, but her grip was so strong.

"Jasmine, that's enough!" Jasmine just stopped when my father got up from his seat and slammed the table.

I was a mess. I curled myself like a ball on the floor, crying for every unfortunate thing that happened to me in this house and this pack.

"Jaque, this is all your fault!" my father, my own blood. "If you just stayed home last night, you wouldn't be in this mess!" a chuckle escaped my lips, making them hear.

What could I expect from someone like you? A cheater, a liar, a manipulator? You lied to my mom for not having another woman. You cheated on us when we found out you got Lauren pregnant. You manipulated her to keep her mouth shut till the day she died. She was your fated mate, but because she was a human, you chose Lauren over her.

You, Louis Davis, and Adam Hayes were cut from the same clothes.

The mere reason for staying in Blood Moon Pack was gone, and all I could feel now was hatred. Graduation day was approaching. The final exam had just finished. I had already decided.

I was meant to leave this pack!