CHAPTER 3: Fury

Virgil's POV

I rushed back home as fast as I could. Gina had told me that she would go back to her own, as she understood how important it was for me to follow Candy. She shouldn't have found out yet. I didn't want anything to happen to my pup. My pup must be safe! I rushed towards the front door and barged inside. She would be home. She didn't have anywhere else to go.

"Candy!" I yelled as soon as I entered and rushed towards the bedroom. She must be there. She was always there.

"Candy?"

I called once again as I entered the room. I frowned. That was weird. She wasn't in the room.

"She is gone, you fool!" My wolf, Gil, screamed in my head.

"What?"

"She rejected me, and now she has left the pack! Didn't I warn you about this? Didn't I beg you to stop sleeping with that slut?" He shouted, making me grimace in frustration.

"Shut up, Gil!" I hissed back at him. "She wouldn't leave. Besides, what kind of mate is she? She doesn't have sex with me! I have been so sexually frustrated."

"You are an idiot, Virgil. She is carrying our pup! She is sick. You were being stupid and impatient. And you are crazy to think that she wouldn't leave. She has left already. Remember the pain we felt? That is the pain of her rejecting us. And then..."

"The surge of energy..." I gasped, cutting him in as realization hit me. She had left me and fled the pack.

"Hell yes! She is gone, and thanks to you, Virgil," he growled in my mind. I was stupefied at first. She had left, and that too, after rejecting me. Dumbfounded, I slumped onto the couch in my room and thought about it. She is gone, and so is my pup, and she had no right! My eyebrows knitted angrily as I thought about it. "She had the nerve to reject me and flee! She had fled from her duties as well! What an incompetent Luna is she? She doesn't deserve to be my mate." I was heaving with anger.

"The hell!" Gil exclaimed, and I could feel his irritation. But I didn't care. I don't believe Candy had the right to do what she did.

"Well, if she had rejected me, I would accept that stupid rejection. Now at least I can live my life in peace without having to sneak around."

"What?!" Gil shrieked.

"If you think that I will cooperate with you after you take that bitch as your chosen mate, you are wrong. She wants nothing but fame. She wouldn't be half the Luna my beautiful mate was!"

He was exasperated; however, I was furious.

"I don't care, Gil," I grumbled in response.

"I hate you, Virgil. If you don't find her and our pup safe and sound, I swear, I will leave you forever. I will reject you, and you will be cursed to remain in your human form for the rest of your life," he swore in utmost fury and retracted to the back of my mind.

Frowning, I covered my face. I had no desire to go and look for a runaway Luna. Gil wouldn't do that to me for real. Right?

Days passed by, and nothing changed. Candy was gone. I had told Gina about what had happened, and she was thrilled to learn that Candy was gone. Her excitement doubled when I told her about the rejection, and when I saw how delightful she was, I decided that whatever had happened was for the best.

"But, my pup..." Gil whimpered. He was right. I need my pup with me. That pup would be my firstborn and hence the rightful heir of this pack.

"I'll find her; don't worry," I promised him. I suppose that was enough for him to stop whining and silently retract back into my mind. However, ever since the day Candy left the pack, Gil has stopped interacting with me as much as he used to. He only spoke if he had to. And seldom shifted. He had started to refuse to go out for runs, and during my intimate sessions with Gina, he would completely block me.

"When will you go to look for our mate?" Gil complained while I was in my office.

"Three months have passed now; I feel she must be about to give birth already," he whined.

I sighed and covered my face. "Gil, she is no longer our mate. She has rejected me, and I have accepted it. But yes, that pup is mine, and I will eventually go and get what is rightfully mine. But first, I need to complete the Luna ceremony for Gina, which is just a few weeks away. We will have to mark her, and then she will be our new Luna. I want to show Candy that even if she leaves us, we aren't hopeless," I told him; however, I only heard an angry growl in response.

"Good luck with marking her, because I'm not helping you," he grumbled, and once again blocked me.

Three more weeks passed, and soon it was the day of the Luna ceremony. After a week of her disappearance, I made a public announcement about it. I had informed everyone in my pack that she had rejected me and abandoned them; hence, I was going to select a new luna and mate, who, of course, was none other than my lover, Gina.

No matter how much Gil protested against my decision and denied her aptitude, I had faith in Gina. She would be an awesome mate, Luna. And once she gets pregnant with my pup, hopefully, Gil would stop whining about his firstborn. I just didn't feel like following a weak luna who had renounced her responsibilities.

"Alpha, it is time," my beta informed me.

"Of course," I replied as I hastened to move out of my room. Gina must be waiting for me in the ritual circle. The alpha and luna ceremonies were always held on the night of the full moon, and I will have to mark her during its highest peak. This was her night. 

I walked right into the open ground, where she was indeed waiting for me, looking absolutely gorgeous in her full white dress. The rest of the pack was waiting for us to begin our ceremony. Although they mourned for their previous Luna, they were now ready to accept Gina, the love of my life. I stepped into the ceremonial circle, and soon the ancient dagger was shining forth. It had been used by our ancestors to draw the blood of every alpha and luna in the pack's history. 

I was the first to go. I confidently held on to its handle, sliced it on my palm, and then handed it to her. Gulping, she followed suit. I saw her wince as the dagger cut through her skin. Little droplets of blood dripped down her palm. Smirking, I let our blood mix by making sure our wounds made contact before they healed. We had to be fast since our werewolf's healing process was a fast one. It was over soon enough. My pack members howled as a sign of acceptance. I couldn't be prouder of them. They were unconditionally obedient. It was only Gil who objected. 

I glanced at the sky and saw that the moon was the brightest and at its highest peak. I bent down to kiss her, which she gladly accepted. After trailing kisses down her throat, I licked her marking spot, making her moan. This was a ceremonial marking where she would be marked as my luna. I had decided to place our mating mark later. I closed my eyes and tried to channel my wolf's senses.

Minutes ticked by; however, it didn't work. I desperately glanced at the moon. The time for the ceremonial marking will soon pass. If I lost it, she would be unmarked.

"Hurry, Virgil. We don't have much time," I heard her melodious voice.

"Come on, Gil!" I ordered my wolf; however, the only response I received was silence. He had blocked me. Gritting my teeth, I attempted to break through the block and force him out; however, it only resulted in a pounding headache.

Trying to ignore it once again, I tried to channel my wolf senses, but in vain. It only added to my agony. Soon, my headache was too much for me to ignore.

"Aaah," screaming, I crouched on the ground.

"What... what is happening?" I heard screams and shouts. However, I could no longer focus on my surroundings.

"Quick! We must take him to the infirmary!"

I heard my beta yell right before I succumbed to exhaustion.