The Wrong Mate: Part Three
Your tail wagged weakly as you follow Neoma out of the Pack House. She seemed to calm slightly, and you hoped to speak to her about what happened. The idea of hurting someone who had already been betrayed left a heavy stone in your stomach. It wasn’t your fault, sure, but what did that matter? She would hate you just the same. For some reason, her hating you made your throat tighten.
“He didn’t speak of me at all?” she finally asked as the two of you broke the tree line, her fingers trailing the bark of one as she moved with effortless grace.
“No. I’m so sorry,” the words felt hollow. Empty. Meaningless. “If I had known, I would have rejected our bond right then.”
Neoma spun, her light eyes widened. “What? You’d have rejected him?”
“Yes. He already has a mate. Who am I to say my claim is more important than yours?” you said, shaking your head. Your tail stopped wagging.
“The Moon Goddess made you for him. Made him for you. She said you have more of a claim,” the Luna’s voice broke, making you wince. You hated that sound. It was like someone pressed glass to your eardrum. And you were the partial cause.
“No,” you said, shaking your head slightly. “The fated mate bond is blessed by the Goddess, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only one that matters. Do you think Elders are all knowing? That they never make mistakes? That’s why we can reject in the first place. That’s why there’s second chance mates! If there were never mistakes, why would we have that choice?”
She paused, her long, slender fingers reaching out to tilt your chin up so you had to look at her. This time, instead of pain, her touch brought you to nearly tremble. It was the most reverent touch you had ever felt. Like she was catching a butterfly on her fingertips.
“You speak like the Goddess is just an Elder,” she whispered, her eyes flitting over your face. “She is divine.”
“And She made us. Blessed us. Doesn’t that make us diving as well?” you countered, an eyebrow raised.
Those words seemed to have struck Neoma dumb. All that you could hear for a few moments were the sound of the birds. Wind moving through the trees. Rustling of animals in the undergrowth.
Her eyes flashed gold; her wolf pushing to the surface for a moment. Your heart lurched, and your face flushed. She was beautiful, no denying that, but the small flash of her wolf side convinced you that she must be magnificent. All consuming desire to see her wolf made your tail wag slowly behind you, your ears pricked at attention.
Your reaction to her made her flush. Nails curling into her palm as she formed a fist. Embarrassment burned her chest. Dammit. Why were you so cute?! You were just an Omega who her mate dragged into the Pack because of fate, but the way you spoke to her, the way you spoke of the Goddess, it was with such difference than anything she expected or had ever heard that even her wolf preened in your presence. If she was this affected, it was no wonder Hudson had been so eager to claim you. How could he resist if this was his fated mate?
“You don’t have to leave,” she finally said, breaking the spell of the moment.
“What?” you blinked, having been wrapped up in the small flash of her wolf side.
“Even if you’re not with pup, I won’t make you leave. Alphas are stronger with their fated mates nearby. You can stay, but you won’t be Luna. Just… just be pampered. Let the Pack take care of you. It’s little compensation for giving up your rightful claim over the Luna title.”
Her voice was so regal that you barely listened to her words. That was what you always imagined a Chief’s wife would sound like. Your home Pack was so far removed from the main band of your Nation, that you’d only seen the Peace Chief once. Never even saw his wife or children. However, this regal, graceful woman in front of you was the embodiment of what you imagined. Despite yourself, you felt disgust. Not for her, but for Hudson. He treated her like dirt, and for what?
“I’m not useless,” you finally said, her words registering through the fog. “In my Pack, we are a family, despite our large size. Everyone works. Everyone takes contributes. I can watch pups, sew, cook, hunt-“
“You can’t hunt. You’re female,” she cut you off. You didn’t miss the flash of interest in her eyes at the idea of you, a smaller Omega, hunting.
“How do you think I survived while looking for my mate?” you countered, tilting your head. Faster than before your tail wagged. Relishing her undivided, seemingly genuine interest.
“Alright, maybe you can hunt, but things aren’t run like that here. Men and women have separate roles,” she said, looking down at you. “And you don’t have to work if you have the Alpha’s pup. Besides, if you’re not, I’m sure he’ll want to try again.”
“Try again?” you echoed in a scoff, your ears flicking back. “He’s already mated. Now that I know that, how could I ever let him touch me again?”
Furrowing her brows, her eyes searched your face for any sign of deception. “You won’t have him again?”
“No. I’m not a homewrecker, and I don’t like cheaters,” you said firmly, your ears now pinned to your head. Your tail no longer wagged.
“Y/N, don’t be rash,” Hudson’s voice cut through everything, coming from behind you.
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