Logan POV I wanted to reject her on the spot.

But when I saw her standing there on the stairs, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say those words.

I saw that she was happy when she looked at me. She wanted to go to me.

But she saw my cold stare and she stopped herself.

Goddess, she is beautiful. I always thought that she was pretty and hot, but now that she is my mate, she is even more beautiful than before. She smelled like strawberries and watermelon. Her long brown hair was falling freely down her back and her blue eyes were an ocean I want to swim in.

Her lips were perfect. Her small body was perfect. Every curve was made for me. I just wanted to touch her.

I clenched my fists to stop myself. I shut Leon out completely because he would kill me for what I was about to do. He was so happy when we smelled her. I don’t want him to see this. I will deal with him later.

I was relieved when Andrew told her to go upstairs. I will be able to think clearly now that she is not here.

I could tell Andrew was not happy with my explanation. But he knows I am right. He knows that the pack always comes first. And his sister is a child.

She just shifted today. She can’t control her wolf properly and she can’t fight in wolf form. The rogues would use her against me, and that would ruin the pack. I needed a strong Luna. Sienna would be a great Luna. She is strong and kind. Our pack would benefit from having her as a Luna.

“Andrew.” I called him after he didn’t respond.

“Fuck.” he muttered. “You are right. Sienna is strong and she would be a great Luna. But that doesn’t mean my sister couldn’t get stronger.”

“It doesn’t.” I agreed. “But we don’t have the time to train her, to make her stronger. Rogues would use her as a liability against me, and the pack would suffer. You know I am right.”

He nodded and ran his hand through his hair.

“Do you want to tell her now?” he asked me.

I nodded. “Yes. It doesn’t make sense to wait.”

“Fine.” he said. “I will go get her.”

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I couldn’t get distracted by the bond. By her. I needed to do this, for my father and for my pack.

It will not sever the bond. Nothing does. I will still feel her, she will still be my mate, but I will be free to make Sienna my Luna.

“Fuck!” I heard Andrew yell and I immediately ran upstairs.

Her smell was so intoxicating up here. I couldn’t help but to breathe it in deeply.

“What happened?” I asked Andrew.

He left her room, but she wasn’t with him.

“She left.” he growled.

I froze and my heart started beating painfully. She left. She probably heard us and left. What if something happened to her? I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t live without her.

‘Leon?’ I called my wolf. ‘Can you feel our mate’s wolf? Is she okay?’ ‘No.’ He growled at me. ‘Her wolf is in pain. She retracted far back in mate’s mind. I can’t feel her.’ Fuck.

‘You are a complete fucker, Logan.’ Leon growled. ‘Mate is perfect and strong. You will be sorry for what you did.’ I didn’t respond, and I pushed him to the back of my mind. I didn’t need that now. He is an animal. He reacts purely on instinct. And his instinct is to get his mate. I have to be the one to think rationally and think about our pack.

Andrew ran past me and went downstairs. He grabbed his jacket and ran through the front door. I followed him in a daze.

“Come on, Logan.” he growled. “Follow her scent. Where did she go?”

I focused on him and did what he told me to do. Her scent was the strongest underneath her bedroom window, and it continued toward the forest.

“Shit.” Andrew muttered.

We hurried towards the forest, and I told him where to go based on the intensity of her scent. It wasn’t hard to follow her, so it couldn’t be long since she walked this path.

Suddenly, her scent just stopped. I couldn’t smell her anymore. It was like she just disappeared. My heart stopped beating.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked.

“I can’t smell her anymore.” I said quietly. “The smell is completely gone.”

“Fuck!” he yelled. “She used masking spray.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. She is okay. I would have felt if something happened to her.

“Emma?!” Andrew yelled.

‘Leon?’ I called my wolf. ‘I know you are mad at me, but I need you to try and talk to her wolf. Tell her to come back.’ ‘I will.’ He growled. ‘But not because of you. I want mate to be safe.’ “Leon will try to talk to her wolf.” I told Andrew.

“If something happens to her, I will kill you. Alpha or not.” he growled at me.

He was the only one who can say something like that to me. If he wasn’t my best friend, he would be dead already.

“She is okay, Andrew.” I said. “I would feel if something happened to her.”

“What if she decided to leave the pack, huh?” he growled. “To become a rogue because she heard her mate, the one person who should love her unconditionally, say that she is not strong enough to be his mate and Luna?!”

“I didn’t do that. Not yet anyway.” a voice said from the forest.

Andrew and I turned towards the sound. Emma leaned against the tree. I let out a breath I had been holding. She is okay.

She was wearing tights that let me see her legs perfectly. Her face was even more beautiful than it was back at the house. How is it possible for someone to become even more beautiful in a matter of minutes? I had to use all my strength not to go to her and make her mine. If I was a regular wolf and not an Alpha, I don’t think I would be able to do that.

Andrew ran towards her and hugged her. I got jealous. I wanted to do that.

But I knew I couldn’t. I had to be strong.

“Goddess, Emma.” Andrew yelled. “Don’t ever do that again!”

She didn’t hug him back. She stepped away from him and looked at me.

“You are here to reject me, right?” she said quietly. “Come on, do it. Let’s get this over with.”

Andrew and I shared a confused look. How is she so calm? So… strong? I looked back at her, and she was staring at me with her head held high.

I took a deep breath and walked closer to her. “You know why I have to do this.”

“I do.” she nodded. “I heard everything.”

I nodded and ran my hand through my hair. Every part of me was screaming at me not to do this. Leon clawed his way to the front of my mind to see his mate, and he was growling and whining. I didn’t want to do this. I wanted her. But I had to. For my pack.

I took a deep breath and looked directly into her wonderful eyes.

“I, Logan Carter, Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Emma Parker of the Crescent Moon Pack.”

I could feel my heart breaking. Leon was howling inside me, and I could feel his pain.

She was looking right at me, and I could see the pain in her eyes, but she refused to show it. Most wolves fall to their knees from pain. I wanted to fall to my knees and claw at my chest. But she didn’t. She was standing there with her head held high. She took a deep breath and closed her wonderful eyes.

“I, Emma Parker of the Crescent Moon Pack, accept your rejection.”

I closed my eyes and felt tears running down my cheek. When I opened them, she was gone.

The bond was still here. Nothing has changed. I felt the same way toward her. I still wanted her. But I just opened the door for me to mate with another she-wolf.

Emma POV

I never thought I could feel this much pain and survive. My whole body is trembling, and my soul is in pieces. There is a huge hole in my heart, and I don’t think I will ever be able to fix it.

My mate doesn’t want me.

I am not good enough.

My brother thinks I am weak.

My mate rejected me. He will have a new Luna, and I will have to look at them every day.

I don’t know how I came home. I don’t remember the path. Pain clouded my vision.

I left Logan and Andrew in the forest, and I just started running away.

I couldn’t go back to the cave. I didn’t want them to find it. It would mean that I wouldn’t be safe there anymore.

We always used masking spray before coming into the cave. But Andrew and Logan came close to finding it. I guess it was because of the mate bond.

Logan could smell me better.

I started walking to my room. I shut the door and locked it. I didn’t want to see my brother. I didn’t want to talk to him. I wanted to be alone.

I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I just wished I could feel numb.

Not happy. I didn’t think I would ever be happy again. The best I could have hoped for was numbness. Maybe I would be able to achieve that.

Maybe the pain would burn through my body tonight, and in the morning, there would be nothing left but numbness. Like poison. It burns, destroys, and leaves.

I heard my brother opening the back door and running upstairs. He tried to open my bedroom door.

“Emma?” he called me. “Emma, open the door, please.”

I stayed silent. I didn’t want to talk to him.

“Emma, please.” he said. “Let me explain.”

There was nothing to explain. I was a weak, small she-wolf, who could never be good enough to be a Luna. Or Logan’s mate.

Andrew tried to talk to me a few more times, but he gave up when I refused to answer.

I heard him sigh and walk away.

I continued to stare at the ceiling. What a way to end a birthday. My day started full of excitement, love, and new beginnings, only to end in pain and misery. I never thought it would happen like this.

I stayed up all night staring at the ceiling and wishing the pain would go away. It sort of worked. By the time I was supposed to get up and go get breakfast, the pain was better, bearable. Maybe I could tell that a small part of me was numb. That was a start.

I heard my brother wake up. He walked downstairs to the kitchen and started making breakfast. Half an hour later, I heard Sienna coming. A little while after, Logan arrived as well.

It was tradition for them. They always met at our house, had breakfast, and then they went and done their Alpha and Beta duties. Sienna just went around being a bitch to everybody. But soon she would have Luna’s duties.

I looked at my watch and saw that I had to be at the training ground in an hour. I decided to get ready and get there early. I couldn’t stand being in the same house as them.

I got up and hopped in the shower. I quickly got dressed and tied my hair in a ponytail. I looked in the mirror and my lack of sleep was clearly visible on my face. I sighed and unlocked my bedroom door.

I decided to leave through the back door, so I didn’t have to see anybody.

But my brother heard me.

“Emma?” he called me and came running from the kitchen.

I stared at him blankly.

“Where are you going?” he asked me.

“Training grounds.” I said quietly.

“It is early.” he said. “And Jacob is not here yet.”

There was a loud growl in the kitchen. Logan.

I ignored it and put my focus back on my brother. “I want to get there early today.”

“Oh. Okay.” my brother said nervously. “But you didn’t eat anything.”

“I am not hungry.” I said and walked through the door.

I closed them before he could say anything.

I walked over to the training grounds, and I saw that Jake was already there.

He saw me and gave me a confused look.

“Emma? What are you doing here? I was just about to go get you.” he told me.

Before I could say anything, he noticed how tired I looked.

“Emma?” he asked, worried. “What happened?”

“I am fine.” I said quietly. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why, beautiful?” he asked and wrapped me in his arms.

Goddess, why couldn’t he be my mate?

“I found my mate.” I whispered in his arms.

I felt him tense, and he pulled away from me to look me in the eyes. He left his hands on my shoulders, holding me tightly.

“Who is it?” he asked me. “And why are you so sad?”

I couldn’t answer him. Those words didn’t want to leave my mouth. I looked down at my feet.

“Did he…” he started talking, but he stopped himself.

I looked back up at him and nodded.

His eyes widened. “Oh, my Goddess. I am so sorry, beautiful. You don’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”

I smiled slightly and sighed. “Well, I guess it had to happen like that.”

“Who is he?” he asked me.

“Not now, Jake.” I said. “We will talk after training.”

He nodded and wrapped me in a hug again. He kissed my forehead and walked over to his training ground.

My whole training session sucked. I was so tired and distracted that I got a nice ass whopping. By the end, I was covered in bruises and cuts.

Amy walked over to me with a frown on her face. “Emmy, you sucked today. What happened? Why were you so distracted?”

“I will tell you at the diner, Amy.” I said. “I need to go home and take a hot shower.”

“Okay.” she said, eyeing me up and down. “Are you sure you are okay?”

I nodded and walked away.

I just hoped that my brother wasn’t home. I didn’t want him to see me like this. It would only add to his belief that I was weak.

I was lucky. He was out. But a monster waited for me at my house. Sienna.

She was leaning on the kitchen counter when I walked in. She eyed me up and down and smiled wickedly.

“Well, if it isn’t the little rejected mate.” she said, smirking. “You know, I always wanted to see the face of a little bitch whose Luna title I would take away, but the fact that it is you only makes it better.”

I rolled my eyes and started walking upstairs. She ran after me and grabbed my hand, turning me around.

“Listen here, you little bitch.” she spat in my face. “I am your Luna, and you will not roll your eyes at me.”

“My Luna is Gloria. You are just a really bad replacement.” I spat back.

She slapped me hard, and I fell on the floor. I should have seen that coming.

She stepped on my arm with her heel. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t want to give her the pleasure of screaming. I looked up at her with a murderous look on my face.

“I can’t wait for Logan to mark me as his. I will kill you and make it look like you ran away to be a rogue.” she said quietly and walked away.

I slowly got up and walked upstairs to my room.

My life would be a living hell until Sienna finally ended me. I was sure she would make sure to torture and torment me whenever she had a chance to.

Even though Logan rejected me, she still saw me as a treat.