Avery is hurt

Chapter 2

James eyes widened in surprise. “W-what?”

“You heard me. Remember what you said when you asked me to marry you? You swore to reject your mate when you found her, so do it.”

“Avery.. I can’t just—“

“Do it James!” I yelled. It felt like I was losing my mind.

Lizzy suddenly screamed and fell to her knees, clutching James’s leg.

“Please no! Please don’t reject me! I have a heart condition remember? If you reject me, I won’t be able to handle it, I’ll die! Please tell him sister.” Lizzy begged, looking at me with tears in her eyes.

It was true, one of the reasons that I and Lizzy had grown very close was because she was diagnosed with a heart condition when she was 5.

Luckily we managed to keep her healthy but she had always been fragile. We were always worried that too much shock or stress would kill her so we did everything and gave her everything to make her always comfortable.

But now she wanted my husband too? No! I couldn’t give her that.

“Avery please.” James begged. “Let’s not be too hasty, you don’t want your sister to die do you? We can figure this out together.”

I watched as Lizzy clung tightly to James, her big eyes now shiny with tears were staring up at him adoringly. And then I remembered something important about Lizzy that I had forgotten.

When Lizzy caught something, she never let it go. She would never willingly let my husband go and we both knew it.

With that thought In mind, I turned around and fled, bolting past the confused pack members that began calling my name. I needed to be alone.

***

I think I finally understood why they called it heartbreak. It felt like my heart had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife, set on fire and was now slowly being crushed to pieces.

I was in so much pain, my wolf Lea was in pain.

I started to run, I planned to run until I was too exhausted to cry.

“I refuse to believe it Avery! James is ours! He marked us as his mate and claimed you as his Luna in front of everyone! He chose us!” My wolf cried in pain but I didn’t know what to say to her. I was hurting just as much as she was.

Maybe this was all my fault. I should have expected it, prepared for it. My life with James was too good to be true so I should never have expected it to last.

Shuri was right after all, who wanted a Luna who couldn't even shift? I was very weak compared to the others, and could only manage to fight hand to hand combat. That's why I did my best to be the perfect Luna. I always held back when the noble women disrespected me, and always did what James wanted me to do.

But apparently, I was still not good enough for him!

Still, this was an unfair punishment for my flaws. James swore to me! He swore to me that I would never have to worry about anyone coming between us…. But he lied!

As I closed my eyes, the vision of him passionately kissing and rubbing Lizzy burned in my mind and I howled in pain. I howled until my throat was sore. I should never have opened that damn door!

I never want to go back there. How would I face them? How would I look my sister in the eyes after seeing her under the man I loved so much?

If the goddess were kind, she would just send my own fated mate to me now. Maybe he would make the hurt and the betrayal disappear.

But who was I kidding? I could never be that lucky. I was doomed to suffer like this, at least until James finally rejected me.

But would he even do that? I highly doubted it.

I wasn’t just a Luna because I married James, I was the pack’s Luna because I worked my ass off to care and provide for the pack. I was a Luna chosen by the people.

If James simply rejected me, it would incite public outrage and it would also weaken his wolf’s power. Breaking a powerful bond as old and as strong as ours was no small task.

Plus Lizzy was a terrible fit for a Luna’s position. She was fragile, delicate and hated hard work. Even with her noble blood, she couldn’t perform like I did. I was an invaluable asset to the pack.

But if James couldn’t reject either of us, that left one option.

Sharing.

James would force me to share. Just like his Cousin was already doing.

There was no way that this would end well for me.

Out of no where, I began to feel dizzy again, and it was accompanied with a now familiar harsh burning feeling on my neck, where mate’s mark was.

I immediately understood what it meant. James was touching her again! Even after I had confronted them, he did not care. He was still touching her.

A wounded scream tore out from deep within my chest as I fell on the forest ground and began to cry as my wolf howled at the night sky.

Thunder cracked in the distance and rain began to pour down on me, drenching me with its cold drops until I was a shivering mess on the ground.

Some time later, I dragged myself off the ground and trudged back to our home.

“Avery!” James almost tackled me when I walked in.

He paused when he saw me soaked, shivering and covered with dirt.

“Where’s your mate? I thought she would have moved into our home by now?” I sarcastically snapped, looking around like I was searching for her.

“I-I sent her home. Avery please can we talk—-“

“What James? Talk about what? Talk about the fact that you swore that I would never ever have to worry about your fated mate? That I was all you wanted? You swore that you would always reject her and chose me! You swore James!”

James hung his head in shame. He had no excuse.

I brushed past him and ran into our bathroom. I turned the shower on and let it rain down on me. I didn’t realize that I had turned it on too hot until the whole shower was so foggy with steam, that I couldn’t see clearly.

Funny, I never even felt the heat. I couldn’t feel anything.

I also couldn’t sleep that night. At first I didn’t want to lie on the same bed that I had caught them in, but James had thoughtfully changed the sheets, and I refused to let their actions traumatize me like that.

I got into bed but my eyes were wide awake. What was going to happen to me now?

I could try to reject him, but it would be useless if he didn’t accept the rejection. James was much more powerful than me so the bond wouldn’t break unless he decided to let me go.

Besides, was I supposed to just reject him and give him to my sister? Give her the life I worked so hard to create for the last 3 years? No!

Everyone in the pack knew that James wouldn’t even be where he is without me.

Before me, he was jus a preppy young man born into power without any idea of what it meant to rule a pack.

That’s how we met, I was going around, helping the people. Our last Alpha - Jame's father— had become greedy in his last years and the pack suffered greatly for it.

When James was newly appointed Alpha, I had humbly pleaded with him to reduce the taxes on the farmers because it was harming their produce.

I never even expected him to listen to me but he looked absolutely stricken when he saw me. He then appointed me as his advisor and I helped him establish a real relationship with the pack. That’s why we were flourishing today.

And now I was supposed to throw all of that hard work away? No. For even the sake of the pack, I had to find a way to make this work.

I heard a faint knock on the door and James poked his head in. He looked too nervous to enter our room. Very good.

“Avery, I truly am so sorry. I never ever meant for this to happen. I will find a way to fix this I swear. Just be a little patient with me.” He begged.

I glared at him. “You never meant for this to happen? You touched her again James! After I left, you deliberately touched my sister again! I felt it through our bond! How can I ever believe a word that you say! You’re a fucking liar!”

James’s eyes widened and he ran to kneel beside me, taking my hand in his.

“I swear it wasn’t like that Avery. She kept touching me but I told her no. Please don’t lose hope in me. You’re my wife, my Luna, I don’t know what I would do without you. Please I would never let you go. We promised till death do us part. Please don’t let this change our love.”

He hugged my waist and buried his face in my lap, desperately begging me to believe him.

“I don’t know what to think James, how can I let you lie in my bed when you’re sleeping with my sister?” The words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

James’s head jerked up to face me. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “I will never ever sleep with your sister Avery. I swear it!”

I smiled like I believed him, but we both knew that he would soon break his vow.