Chapter 59
He swallowed nervously,
âand so she begged for him to take her. On her knees, in front of all the Alphaâs including the Chancellor. Said sheâd be a good mate⦠Said she never wouldâve gotten with you had she known it was him.â
My wolf clawed out at me, demanding me of punishing both of them right here, right now. They hid such an important detail of her âstumbling upon her mateâ. Hestia had not only humiliated our pack but she made it seem as though I forced her into forming a bond with me. Begging Locksworth to accept her, to boast.
I looked to Hestia who had a scowl on her face at her fatherâs words. Though her face was full of contempt, I could feel the lingering fear underneath her skin.
âHave you no shame? You, my Luna, the Luna of the pack. You are carrying my child and the future Alpha. Does that mean anything to you? You begged on your knees for someone who isnât your mate?
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
I ask her, digging my nails into my skin as she looked up. Hestia narrowed her eyes at me, her dark blues against my greens.
âNo.â
âNo?â
I laughed, stalking toward her in anger. She is a fool if she thinks Iâll let this go. She stepped back, the tough facade she held cracking as she felt my energy surging forward.
âTell me why you lied. Why you told everyone, even your father, that Locksworth was your mate.â
Hestia flinched at my Alpha command. Although she held the title of Luna, she wasnât born to be one.
She didnât have the power to resist my command over her. So reluctantly, she answered.
âT To get away from you. If I had him, no one would dare challenge me. No one would even think of objecting our separation if he was my mate. Heâd take care of me for the rest of my life. I wanted to get away from all this responsibility.â
She hissed out.
âI had enough! I donât want this baby! I donât want the dam ned Luna title! Itâs too much work! I never asked for this, Landon! I never asked for all this extra baggage that came with being with you! Ever since you found out Selene was your mate, you acted different. You arenât as focused on me anymore.
Youâd always get this far away look on your face!â
She huffed out, eyes wild with frustration. They turned glassy as she stared at me with sadness.
âBut donât you dare act so just. Ever since Selene came back, all youâve ever been thinking about was herâ Too bad she doesnât want you, huh? Thereâd be no way she ever would, not when you abandoned herâ You rejected her for me, Landon. Own up to it.â
She spat. I felt a sharp sting pierce into my chest from her words. She was right. I know she was. In anger. I balled my fists, feeling unorthodox hatred fill me as I stared at the woman in front of me.
You ignored her calls that day of the attack like all of us. You wanted her to die. You did, donât you dare lie I only wanted her out of the picture because she threatened my future with you. You wanted her gone because you felt yourself being torn apart.
You knew perfectly well what was happening to her, but you chose to do nothing. You wanted her gone just like all of us. You wanted the easy way out.â
She laughed humorlessly as she rubbed her face with vigor,
âNo, you wanted her gone more than any of us. Too f ucking bad she lived. And now that she shows up back from the dead, you act like some loved up pup. Admit it, you were glad that I found my âmateâ the moment you saw her again. You were glad because you knew that meeting we had today would be your chance to start over with her.
You didnt even protest when we came up with the idea. You didnât mind getting with her in exchange with me getting Locksworth. You were practically jumping at the thought, regardless of who my mate was, that you could get me off your hands. You knew if I had my mate, I could go with him and you could go with her. That there wouldnât be any loose ties.â
I grit down on my teeth.
Again, she was right.
I did want Selene dead.
I wanted her dead because of what she made me feel.
What the bond made me feel.
But then she came back. The initial betrayal I felt when Hestia found her mate instantly disappeared.
I was glad Hestia found her âmateâ because that meant a chance for me.
It meant I could ease my way back into Seleneâs life.
She would definitely give me the chance. She may be stubborn now, but I know she wants a mate. And Iâm the only mate she has.
She would still want me no matter the past.
âYouâre right. I wonât deny that. But how dare you say you didnât know what âbaggageâ would come from being with me. I told you the moment we started seeing each other, I was an Alpha first. Not a lover.
And what? Did you really think a pretty face and sweet words would be enough to make Locksworth accept you? Did you think heâd take you in, allow you to claim him as yours falsely and leave it at that?
That he wouldnât bring you to the Scared Pool to prove to everyone the liar you are? That heâd take you in as his mate, when you arenât?â