Chapter 22 Speechless Lucas?
Aurora's POV
Wedding.
Ahh, Ellen was talking about Lucas and Anne's wedding earlier but I didn't let myself think much about it. What is there to think about anyway? What should I think about? It's not like I have any good relationship with either of them. Nor will I be attending their wedding.
Werewolves don't marry for whatever reason. They decide to have a mating ceremony which is enough for them as long as they are marked. Then why the hell do they want to have a wedding like some freaking vampires or witches? Or maybe human since they are mainly known for that too.
The impending wedding between Lucas and Anne amplifies the raw pain of betrayal that has been etched into the fabric of my past. Lucas, my first mate, the one who callously rejected me, is now pledging his life to another. And I am unfortunate enough to have come back just when they decided to do that. Why didn't they do that years ago? Why now?,
Anne, once my best friend too, seized the opportunity to claim my mate and cruelly taunted me for being weak. That I was not his type. Now, they stand on the precipice of matrimony, a union that feels like a blatant mockery of the wounds they inflicted upon me. The wounds that will never heal.
They didn't know I was coming back or I would have thought they were doing this all to hurt me more. They want to make life hard and I hate that I can't get up and leave whenever I want. I would've left before their wedding so as to not give them the satisfaction of showing up while I am around.
As I try to grapple with the reality of their impending union, the memories of rejection and taunts flood back, creating a storm of emotions within me. The day I left. Those memories haunted me for days. In my nightmares, I featured every single word they had uttered to me. It hurts so bad.
"Hi, Rora! Are you here to beg him to be your mate?" Anne had given me a mocking pout that made my chest tighten. She was also naked and it keeps taunting me knowing what they had done together.
"As if." Lucas said, rolling his eyes as he got off her and she didn't even attempt to close her body. She's got a great one with a nice pair of small breasts for his hands.
I stood there like a statue not believing my eyes. I don't know what happened the past few hours but it feels like all the people I know were not the same. Everything has changed now. Lucas even looks like someone I have never seen in my life.
"Will you tell us why you are here or should we go ahead and have sex in front of you?" Anna snapped, wrapping her arms around Lucas from behind, pressing her breasts around his nape.
"I-I..." I stuttered like the fool I was. Where is the bravado I came with? The one I have managed to fill to the brim before getting here. Where did it go? Fuck. This cannot be happening. I shouldn't cry over this, not again.
"I can see why you rejected her without a second thought." She giggled, playing with his brown hair as she could kiss his forehead like the affectionate freak she was. She never talks like this.
"Yeah?" He turned around to kiss her like I wasn't standing there, like he wanted to suck off her entire face.
"Hmm. When will you mark me?" She asked, tilting her head to the side to stare into his eyes. "After she leaves." He said with a grin then turned around to send me a glare that stopped my heart. Who is this Lucas and what has he done to my best friend?
A surge of betrayal and anger courses through me as the realization hits: he's going to mark her. The very idea feels like a betrayal of the most sacred werewolf bond. How can he mark her when she isn't his mate?
The anger simmers beneath the surface, fueled by the profound violation of werewolf traditions. The sacred act of marking is reserved for mates, an intimate connection that transcends physicality. To witness him bestowing that symbolic bond upon someone who isn't his true mate feels like a personal affront, as if the essence of werewolf identity is being desecrated.
The echoes of my own rejection and the pain inflicted by both Lucas and Anne resurface, intertwining with this new betrayal. It's a knot of emotions that tightens with each passing moment, leaving me to grapple with a storm of conflicting feelings - from anger at the breach of werewolf customs to the haunting memories of personal betrayals.
"Accept his rejection and leave, Rora." Eva said in my head before I could throw myself inside the room to beg Lucas to stop this nonsense and just be with me. To be my best friend once again.
Anger courses through me, a burning fury that eclipses the lingering traces of tears on my cheeks. It took longer than expected to staunch the flow, but now my resolve hardens. No more tears for these betrayers, these cheaters. The raw betrayal stokes the flames of indignation within me, drowning any hint of vulnerability in a sea of simmering rage.
"I, Aurora Grey, accept the rejection to be your mate and future Luna, Lucas Black." My voice resonates with a steadiness that conceals the turmoil within me, a controlled facade that belies the storm of emotions raging beneath the surface. As the words leave my lips, I fix my gaze upon them, relishing the shock that registers in their faces. It's a moment of satisfaction, a fleeting triumph amid the chaos of betrayal and deceit.
The satisfaction lingers, a bitter aftertaste of reclaiming a semblance of control in the face of their unexpected union. Their shock becomes a momentary tableau, and I savor the power that comes with revealing my resolve to stand firm against the betrayals that have woven themselves into the fabric of our shared history.
The wounds that were carefully bandaged over the years are now ripped open anew, leaving me to confront the echoes of past pain. The numbness I feel is not a shield but rather a testament to the overwhelming nature of the betrayal.
I left the Brown Wood Pack four years ago to escape the heartache they caused me, only to return to a pack transformed by the very individuals who shattered my trust. Their decision to have a traditional wedding, a practice foreign to werewolf customs, further emphasizes the extent to which they've chosen a path divergent from our lupine traditions.
The betrayal now extends beyond personal grievances, infiltrating the very essence of our werewolf identity. They want to tie the knot and share rings? Then they should be my guest. I have more problems to deal with than their nonsense tantrums.
"I won't be attending any wedding, Li. I'm supposed to work as a maid in the alphas mansion. Maids don't go to weddings." I say to her while staring at the waterfall blankly.
Her gaze fixates on both Lucas and me, an undercurrent of confusion evident in her eyes. Despite the social expectation to be cordial around Lilian, I find myself unable to muster the pretense. At this moment, I cannot bring myself to care about the impression I leave on her.
The truth, raw and unfiltered, unravels before us, and I choose authenticity over the facade of politeness. Whatever preconceived notions Lilian may harbor, they are inconsequential in the face of the reality playing out before her. At this moment, the only currency that matters is the unadulterated truth, and I stand firm in its unwavering embrace.
"That is not an excuse, Ro. I'll speak to dad and he'll let you go. We are going to have so much fun. Luke is the only one taken amongst us and that too to your best friend, Anne. You cannot miss this for the world." Lilian insisted with her fake excitement.
"I'm not going." I say with finality that screams don't ask me what is really going on.
Lucas didn't say anything the whole time and I'm not sure if that irritated me or not. That made me recall his strong voice that called me a liability on my eighteenth birthday. The voice that echoed in the quiet night. He said those staring me dead in the eyes like he never truly wanted me as a friend talk less of being his mate. It hurts so darn much but I can't do anything about it.
"You are a liability, Aurora. You haven't changed into your wolf yet and who knows, you might not change ever. I can't have a weakling as my mate when I am going to rule as the alpha in the future. I need someone stronger by my side."