Rejected Mate

After tossing and turning all night, I sat at the kitchen table the following day. The rain had soaked me, and I still shivered from the cold.

Seeing Luca entangled with his ex had hurt me so badly. How could he treat me this way when the moon goddess had paired us together in the first place? No wonder he did not want to touch me when he had Bianca by his side. She was beautiful, but I was supposed to be the only female he was attracted to and loved—not her, not anyone else. 

My mother suddenly entered the room, interrupting me from my thoughts. She glared at me with such hatred. Where a mother's love should be, there was nothing but hatred and disappointment in hers. 

"Hmm, look at you, Serafina. You are a disgrace. Sitting there like a lazy luna, you haven't got anything to do. You should be more concerned with getting pregnant instead of stuffing yourself with more food. Not everyone can get pregnant naturally." My mother hissed at me. You need to make an effort to explore other options." She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. 

"What options are you suggesting, Mother?" I felt like a helpless child again that could never do any right in my mother's mind. She never was pleased with me, no matter how hard I tried to make her love me. 

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. My heart was thumping in my chest, and my throat felt as if it were closing in.

Her words were like a knife; every word she spat out was another cut made. Deeper and deeper. The humiliation kept on growing, weighing heavier on my shoulders. 

How could I get pregnant when Luca had made a vow never to touch me? He was disgusted by my mere existence. Bianca Romano has already claimed his heart.

"Use science, Serfina. You are even more useless if you cannot produce an heir. I am shameful and will not be laughed at for my daughters' laziness." My mother grunted. She shook her head at me, and in an instant, I wanted the ground to swallow me up whole. 

"Just use science and make it happen before I make you feel the wrath of my anger. Haven't you embarrassed this family enough?" She said, her voice raised, causing my cheeks to burn with humiliation. 

I watched as my mother turned on her heel and disappeared down the long corridor, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts. 

"Shameful, embarrassment, useless, unworthy." 

Was I all those things?

My mother saw me as nothing but an embarrassment, while my mate saw me as a burden that he could not bear to breathe the same air as. How was I supposed to deal with this? A Luna was supposed to be treated like a queen, an equal partner to her alpha.

  I clenched my fists as my thoughts spiralled into anger, and I couldn't take it any longer. The wrath of my mother shaming me and the betrayal from my own mate broke my heart. I felt like a volcano about to erupt any second. Lu A had pushed me too far by now, and it was time to put things to an end. He did not love me, and there was only one way to solve it. 

I stood up, scraping the chair, and did not bother to pick it up when it fell backwards with a thud. I would confront him. He would have no choice but to explain himself. He had a lot to answer for, after all. 

Finally, I reached his office door. I stopped briefly, but I knew he would know I was there before I knocked or entered. I didn't bother to wait for him to permit me entrance. As the Luna, I had every right to be respected and treated as such. 

Standing tall, I opened the door, causing him not to flinch or look up at me. He acted as if I weren't even there. I could see he was busy flicking through paperwork. He looked tired, but that was his fault. He should never have gone to that club with his lover last night. His face haunted me, and I walked right up to his desk.

"Divorce," I growled with every ounce of courage that I could muster up. Luca merely raised an eyebrow, his expression blank. No rage, no sorrow, no nothing. Ju t coldness. 

"Did you hear me, Luca DeLuca? I want a divorce. You betrayed me far too much. Last night was the final straw for me." I snarled, clenching my fists at my sides. I was proud of myself for remaining strong in front of my so-called mate. He always made me feel like a weakling.

Still, he did not answer. Did he even hear me?

"Luca?" I tapped the table until he finally looked up at me. 

"For God's sake, Serafina. Are you blind as well as stupid? Can't you see that I am busy?" Luca growled at me, causing me to be silent. He did despise me. 

The truth finally settled in my gut like a stone in that very second. I was nothing to him. He did not even care about me. Not one bit. 

Why had I wasted all these years on him?

"I. I want to know." I stuttered, staring at my feet. 

"Just leave." He slammed his fist onto the table and roared so loudly that the walls shook. 

"Leave? Okay, Luca, that is fine, but you can't hide from this. Divorce is the only way forward." I snapped back at him, daring to look him straight in the eyes. I saw a flicker of surprise on his face. He had not expected me to stand up for myself. Yet, he offered no reassurance or hope that things could improve. 

It was all I needed to know.