Everyone in the room looks at the soon-to-be King Alpha and his three soon-to-be officers, who bow their heads in shame. I feel a little triumphant, at least now they realize how horrible they have been.
Silence.
"I'm sorry." This from Damon Hunter. He fully faced me, looking me in the eye, still holding my hand. "I will do anything just for you to forgive me."
I am glad, Damon at least, immediately admitted to his faults.
I looked down at our entwined hands with a heavy heart. His touch feels comforting now that we are here. Or maybe it was because of the mate bond. My heart and my wolf are both telling me to forgive my mate. Accept the mate bond and forget the past, let the fears go.
But I just can't. This was not revenge, I didn't want him to suffer, I did not want him to feel hurt. Maybe, I was just hurt by him, and everyone connected with him for too long that it was too hard to let go of the hurt and fear I have been feeling whenever they were around.
"Maybe... Eerrrrmm.." I cleared my throat. Looking around at everyone looking at us. Waiting for what I was going to say. "Maybe...Mmmm... We can reject each other." I said the last sentence softly, feeling my heart twist in pain and knowing that these words would cause his heart to hurt as well.
He looked at me in panic. Gripping my hand even more as I heard gasps from around us.
"No, I will not reject you and you are not going to reject me." Damon Hunter said in a forceful voice for the first. "Tell me what you want me to do to make this right. To make you forgive me. I will do it. Anything, anything at all besides that."
I was facing him now as he was facing me.
Then we heard Mark, his future Beta clearing his throat. "We are part of every terrible things you have experienced, let us suffer if it will help you forgive and accept our future King Alpha as your mate."
I looked at him, and the two other future officers.
"I don't want anyone to suffer, especially my mate." Damon's face immediately brightened. "I just don't want to deal with anyone of you anymore for now."
I looked down at our hands, still entwined, to avoid looking at their faces. I didn't want to see the hurt and disappointment I knew they would be feeling. I knew I hurt my mate's heart with my request of rejection, and I know I am still hurting him now with what I said about not wanting to do anything them anymore, but I didn't want to continue living in fear again if I allowed him to be a part of my life.
For the first time in years, I did not fear going to school. If anything, I loved and enjoyed school. Every aspect of it, from my classmates, schoolmates, teachers and every nook and cranny of the school I attended. For the first time in years, I was content with one aspect of my life, and that was because I got away from them, from their pack and from the bullies of the pack where I belong. I swear, they all seemed to have had a reunion in that hell of a school.
"If I may Lu-ann?" Queen Luna Annabelle interjected, and I nodded at her respectfully, letting her say what she wanted to say. "With the last sentence you said, I would not presume that I know how horrible you must have been treated by my son and his future officers. But if you can find it in your heart to try and give them a chance to right where they have gone wrong... I will be there, every step of the way. Knowing these things have happened to you, I feel that I have personally failed in raising an honorable King Alpha."
I looked at the Queen Luna, shocked that it has come to this. It was as if she was apologizing on their behalf as well as taking the blame for whatever has happened to me at the hands of her son and his companions. I wasn't expecting this, and it somewhat softened my resolve in having nothing to do with Damon and his pack.
"I know my son has learned a very big lesson today. I have seen it for myself how he has suffered because of your lengthened absence from him since he caught a whiff of your scent as his mate. I am offering you a chance to punish whoever has done horrible things to you, including my son. Hurting weak people is not tolerated and I am ashamed that the one person I have expected to uphold justice and righteousness has failed me to the extent that his mate would even reject him." I was even more shocked when the King Alpha spoke. For a few seconds, I could not speak at all.
Silence. Everyone in the room waited for my response.
"I do not wish for anyone to be punished at my expense, King Alpha. I just want them to learn their lesson and be the right leaders of the pack they are destined to lead."
Was that approval I see on their faces?
"Very well, if you do not wish for them to be punished, I take it you do not wish for them to suffer." King Alpha asked this question, but it felt like he was telling me that is how I felt and not asking me.
I nodded slowly, feeling as if I am being maneuvered into something.
"Then I can safely assume that you will be giving them a chance to right the horrible things they have done. I am giving you full reign in grooming these future pack leaders to be the best that they can be in terms of morals, justice and righteousness."
My jaw dropped. I think it must have fallen to the floor and back like a yoyo. How did I go from not having to do anything with these future leaders to grooming them to be the best a leader can be?
I looked around, and I think I see some grins hiding behind hands covering mouths or grins hidden as some bowed to hide their faces.
"It is settled then, Lu-ann will guide the future King Alpha and his officers in their journey for a righteous and moral leadership. Maybe we could give them a few minutes to talk amongst themselves and settle important matters?" Alpha Cain suggested.
And with that, everyone seemed relieved to get out of the office. Even Kaylee seemed relieved, hugging me and whispering "You'll be okay." Before following her father out.
Damon's POV
I was nervous as hell as we followed Justine's car to the Dark Moon Pack territory. Good thing Mark, my future Beta was driving. My wolf has started growling at me. Angry because I was the one who sabotaged the chance to be accepted by my mate. I wanted to reassure him, I wanted to tell him that it was going to be okay. That everything was going to be alright. That I will apologize to Lu-ann and she will forgive me, forgive my group for all the horrible things we have done to her.
But I knew it wasn't that easy. I now understand why it took me a whole week of searching before I found my mate.
I now understand why she has hidden from me, ran from me. And I can't blame her. We have been horrible to her. Hurting her every chance we got for years without her doing anything.
I feel Mark's eyes on me. Words were not needed for us to communicate our fear that we have made one very, very big mess. A mess that could lead me to lose my mate.
When I see Justine park his car, I quickly got out of our car to assist Lu-ann, even before our car fully stops. But she doesn't accept my hand, does not even look at me. I feel hurt, but I had to accept that this was one of the consequences of my actions. I told my wolf we'll be fine. As long as she doesn't reject us outright, we have the chance to have our mate accept us.
She walks inside the pack house, and I follow her, needing her closeness. I know she feels me near her, she smells my scent and I wonder if she feels happy just smelling my scent as I am when I smell hers. She walks directly to the hallway leading to Alpha Cain's office, ignoring the jealous and condescending looks of the she-wolves at the living room.
I wanted to touch her then. Hold her hand, embrace her... Anything to show these she-wolves that I own her and that she owns me. It pains me that once upon a time, I let other she-wolves hurt her physically, mentally and emotionally.
We enter the office and I see her pause. I'm guessing she was overwhelmed when she sees everyone from the higher hierarchy in one room. But I see her stiffen up and move on inside the room as her friend, Kaylee pulls her. I am glad she has a friend like her at least.