CHAPTER TWO

LISA 

It would be an understatement to say I am displeased. I am as furious as hell about how this whole mate issue was playing out. Rowan doesn't seem bothered, if anything, he seemed to be very much pleased with his mother's decision. 

Everyone in the pack knew that Rowan liked Olivia. He had liked her for years now, even though his relationship with her had only been that of mere friends. 

Although he grew distant from her shortly after the loss of his father, our alpha. Their friendship went totally sour when Luna Claire picked me as her son's chosen mate so he could take over the pack.  

I never expected that this same Olivia would be fated to Rowan as he had been in search of his mate for over four years with no success.

I suddenly feel a bit of guilt, wondering if I didn't do too much by hitting Olivia the previous day.

Flashback 

Smack! My hands landed on the face of the girl I disliked the most in this pack. 

“How dare you attempt to seduce Jason?” I spat in rage. 

She looked up at me in shock, her cheek swollen with red marks from the prints of my fingers. 

“You…you've misunderstood the whole thing, Lisa.” she stuttered. Smack! Another slap rang through the air, not allowing her say any more than that.

She opened her mouth again to offer an explanation but I do not care for one. I did not need it. I only wanted to vent my anger. 

“Shut it!” I blared. She bit her lower lip, biting back her words. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. 

“Easy there, Lisa.” I heard Bessie's voice reach out to me from behind. 

“You really don't have to soil your hands with dirt.” Bella, my best friend, was here to support me. 

“Olivia…or whatever it is you are called, it's a shame that you don't know your place in this pack.” Bella said to Olivia with indignation. “You must think too highly of yourself to dare seduce the future alpha of Cold Moon pack.” she shot as she stared her down in a cold gaze. 

Bella’s words incited a fresh rage inside of me and I raised my hand to give her another slap but my hand was abruptly stopped mid-air. 

“Rowan!” I yelled when I turned to see him holding my raised hand. “You’re standing up for her?” I demanded, my anger replaced with disbelief. 

“KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS TO YOURSELF, LISA!” He growled, shooting me a stern look.

I was shocked.

“Uhm, Rowan,” Bella tried to talk some sense into her brother. “You don't have to make it look like Lisa’s overreacting. Olivia here went overboard by trying to seduce…

“SHUT IT!” Rowan bellowed, cutting her short too. “And don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do!” He snarled at her. 

Bella's face flushed with embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” He asked her with a gentle tone. His eyes softened immediately he faced her to examine her face. 

“How could you do this to a fellow girl?” He turned his head, asking me irritably. 

“And how could you bear to defend this wench?” I fired back. My face had tightened in anger. I couldn't bear to watch him show concern for another she-wolf over me. 

“You’ve misunderstood the whole thing, Lisa.” He huffed. 

“Really? So everyone now thinks I'm crazy? I accused. 

His jaw clenched. Then he closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath. “Lisa, Olivia is my mate!” He spat through gritted teeth.

“What! I'm not standing here to watch this.” I seethed as I stormed out of Olivia's room with mixed feelings of surprise, uncertainty and then fear. Fear gradually turned into anger.

End of flashback 

I had some kind of doubt that she would dare to seduce my mate though because Rowan would actually be the one to do anything to have her in his bed. 

Rowan standing up for his mate was all I needed to know that this was going to be a tough one. There were only a few men who could handle such complicated mate issues. Rowan wasn't one of them. He would rather sit back and watch his mother handle it. 

I made up my mind to report to Luna Claire first since she would preside over the matter. She usually favoured me amongst other girls in the pack. As the beta’s older daughter, not only was I beautiful, I was also the strongest girl of my age in the pack. I took training sessions seriously and became so good at fighting that Luna Claire took note of me. 

When she chose me to be her son's mate, I literally became a part of the alpha family save for the coronation that would officially make me Luna. I was sure she was going to take my word over Olivia's. What I did not expect however, was that she would ask her son to keep both women. Her pronouncement in her office stung me fiercely. 

When Luna Claire made the pronouncement of having me mated to Rowan as the official Luna with Olivia on the side as his mistress, I expected Rowan to say something, anything to protect my interest at least. 

But no, he would never go against his mom and this was the problem with him. He never had his own say as a man. He listened to his mother way too much, not caring if she was wrong or not.

 He appeared to have no problem with it, he seemed pleased to have two women to himself. Not that I would let that happen anyway. 

I was sure of one thing, which was that I would not sit and watch my mate keep a mistress right under my nose, not even if she was his mate. I made up my mind as my legs wobbled to his room, I needed to have this talk with him.

____

“What do you mean by your hands are tied?” My whole body trembled with rage as I screamed at him.

Rowan looked up at me half-heartedly. “Lisa, that's my mate we're talking about here.” 

A bitter taste formed in my throat causing me to swallow. I put my thoughts together as I really do not want my emotions to get the better of me. 

“Really? So we..” I point at him with my index finger, bringing it back to myself. “We are not mates?” I said, more of a question than a statement. 

“Don't be like this, Lisa.” Rowan said, as he stepped closer, drawing me to himself.

I wiggled my way out of his arms. I wanted him to be clear with me on this.

“Who the h*ll am I to you, Rowan?” I yelled in frustration. He took a step back, startled at my outburst. 

“We're chosen mates, Lisa. Olivia is my fated mate.” He responded, his lips twitching slightly. “I mean, I'm not the moon goddess that fates wolves.” He hissed irritably, his hands pulled through his hair in frustration. 

Rowan had been a good partner these few months we've been together, getting to know each other. His affection for me had grown relatively stronger up until his mate saga with Olivia on her turning eighteen. 

I moved closer to him, cupping his chin with my palms. I gently lowered his head to meet my gaze. “You can reject her.” I let out what had been on my mind for a while now. 

“We all know that she is not qualified to be the Luna of this pack, so it's okay to reject her, Rowan.” I said softly, trying to convince him. 

He brushed my hand away from himself. “Come on, Lisa. The poor girl is just for my wolf, rejecting her would weaken my wolf.” He looked pained as he uttered those words. Was rejecting a fated mate so hard that he couldn't even think of it? I wondered.

“I'll find a way to keep you both happy Lisa. You will lack nothing and I'll keep her out of your way.” The resolute look in his eyes was enough to let me know his stance. He apparently had made up his mind. 

I looked away in disappointment, “so you are not going to reject her?” I asked, my voice laced with resignation. Rowan did not say another word to me. He looked at me as if I was unbelievable. I expected this was going to end this way but I chose to still test the waters. 

“It’s already a lost cause, Lisa.” Bella chimed in. She had been on the bed all the while watching us argue. 

I glanced at her for a brief second, trying to keep my temper in check. They call the shots in this pack, so I had to be in their good books if I really wanted to be one of them. Offending them would be disastrous, even though I already felt trapped. 

“Your coronation is in a few days. You should focus on becoming Luna.” She added, placing her arm on my shoulder in assurance. 

I comforted myself with the thought of being with Rowan as his Luna. At least, I was not a mistress. It would be the most exhilarating moment of my life. Who wouldn't want to be the Luna of a pack anyway?