Chapter 20: Their Cursed

Cullen

There was a knock on my office door. I had not left the pack house yet, I needed to speak with Jaime first. My father basically left me no choice but to tell her. She was already being a pest ever since my mother said Remi was our mate.

“Come in,” I said. Jaime came in with a sour look on her face.

“I hope you have summoned me to finally tell me what the hell is going on with the waitress and your brother and why your mother thinks she is your mate?” she said with disdain in her voice.

“I advise you to curb the attitude,” I said as she threw herself down in the chair across from my desk. She just gave me a scowl.

“Ever since we went to that nasty little diner, you have ignored me. You sneak off at all hours of the night. You barely speak to me. We were barely having sex before but now we do not even sleep in the same bed. You accepted me as your mate even if you won’t mark me,” she said.

“If you would quiet down for a moment, I will tell you,” I said. She crossed her arms and looked at me expectantly. “My mother was not wrong. Remi is both Calder and I’s mate. My brother informed my parents before we together made a decision about what to do. The circumstances surrounding the girl are murky at best and she needs to be rejected. My brother and I are not of the same mind at this moment in time.”

“So that’s why he has her at the apartment?” she asked.

I nodded my head. “My father has now forbidden me from rejecting her by Alpha authority. For the time being, I cannot reject her, and my brother is still proceeding like she will be accepted by both of us.”

“That is absurd. The Elders already ruled that I would be Luna!”

“I do not need your input on the matter. I will handle things. For now, you will act as if she is of no consequence. Do you understand me?”

She stood up. “Cullen, you need to stop treating me like your subordinate. Once I am made Luna, I will be your equal.” She stomped out of the office and slammed the door.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. This was frustrating enough dealing with my brother, father, and the Elders. I did not need Jaime making things even more difficult for me.

“Get rid of Jaime and accept Remi! We can break the curse and prove the council wrong!” Maximus whined.

“It isn’t that simple. If she were able to produce a pup before her 21st birthday, it would belong to my brother or I and it would be the future Alpha of our pack. I will not hand over my heir,” I told him.

“Then we break the curse in another way. All curses can be broken. Calder and Magnus will help us.” I sighed. I wanted that to be true. I didn’t want to reject my mate, but I couldn’t put my pack and the realm in jeopardy for selfish reasons. “It isn’t selfish to want our mate…”

It was getting late in the afternoon and I needed to head back to the Ordinary Realm. My assistant had some things that required my attention tonight. I dragged myself up and headed up to my room to grab my bag.

Calder

Bowling had turned out to be a lot of fun. Remi was relaxed all night and the conversation never got awkward. I also got to watch her delicious ass every time it was her turn to bowl. Pip ended up winning every game and finally admitted that her and her college friends bowled regularly on the weekends.

We were headed back to the apartment now. Remi and Amanda were talking about their favorite school subject animatedly. I had found out that my sweet little mate was a huge math geek as well as being an avid reader. I was holding her hand as I watched them talk.

“Wait, so Remi, if you're so smart, why aren’t you in college?” Amanda asked her.

“Oh, um, I couldn’t really afford it. It’s okay though. Maybe one day,” she said a little hesitantly. I could feel apprehension coming from her the same as every time the conversation turned in a direction relating to her past or her life.

“Not everyone goes to college, Pip, even in the Ordinary Realm,” Gentry said.

“Cullen and I didn’t go to college,” I said.

“Really?” Remi said looking at me in shock.

I nodded. “Neither of us are college educated. After high school we went straight to training on the job,” I said.

“Wow. I would have never guessed that a CFO didn’t have to go to college,” she said.

I shrugged. “What he isn’t telling you is all the extra studying they had to do in high school to be ready to start on the job training right after,” Gentry said from the seat.

Remi just giggled. Goddess that sound was incredible. I knew it would be only second to the sounds she would make when I mate her. Staring at her ass all night and being with her almost all day was making the urge to mate her strong. I got lost in thought as I sat there admiring my beautiful mate. Remi squeezed my hand and broke me from my thoughts.

“What are you staring at?” she asked quietly.

“You,” I said, giving her a smile. She blushed hard. We were pulling into the garage. As soon as Gentry parked, I hopped out and pulled Remi from the car. She smiled sweetly up at me. We all piled into the elevator and I pulled Remi into my arms. I leaned down and nuzzled my nose in her hair.

“Awwww…” Amanda cooed.

“You guys could wait until you get upstairs,” Gentry said, rolling his eyes.

Amanda smacked his arm. “Leave them alone. Caldy has been looking for her for 7 years now. And they are so cute together.” Gentry just stuck his tongue out at her. She scoffed at him. “She will look just as cute with Cully too. Maybe he will smile for her unlike Jaime,” Amanda said as the elevator doors opened. Her eyes went wide, and I looked over to realize Jaime was standing right there. Amanda immediately dropped her eyes to the floor embarrassed.

Jaime cleared her throat. We all hurried out of the elevator and she got on. She gave me a look of disdain as the doors closed. Remi had a strange look on her face as we went upstairs. When we got inside my room, I pulled her close again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She was quiet for a moment. “Why does Jaime dislike me? Are her and Cullen dating?”

I stilled for a second. I had not explained everything about Jaime and her being selected as the future Luna. I was hoping Cullen would at least get rid of her when we found Remi. I sighed. “Do you remember that I told you that mates can identify each other as soon as they turn 16?” I asked her.

She nodded her head. “Cullen and I are now 23. Six months ago, after our 23rd birthday, the Elder Council wanted to discuss accepting a Luna as we hadn’t found our fated mute. They selected candidates from our age group and Jaime was the she-wolf they decided most fit to be our mate. Cullen accepted her so that we could take the title. I was not so happy about it. We were not that close with her as we grew up and she always annoyed me. She has been training to become Luna and the only thing stopping the process is me not accepting her.”

She nodded her head. “So, Cullen would rather be with her? Is that why he wanted to reject me before he found out about the curse?”

I frowned with my face in her hair. She was connecting dots better than I thought. “He doesn’t love her. He simply wants to fulfill his duty as Alpha…” I did not want to tell her I was genuinely worried he would try to reject her before I could break the curse and change the Council’s mind. She was quiet in my arms. “Does it upset you that he isn’t giving you a chance?” I asked her quietly.

“I don’t want it to…” she said with a small shrug. My heart ached for my mate. On some level, Cullen’s refusal to accept her was hurting her. I turned her face up to mine and kissed her lips gently. She reached up on her tiptoes and deepened the kiss. I tangled my hand in her hair, gripping the back of her head as I forced my tongue into her mouth. She moaned a little at my intrusion. I pushed her body toward the bed, pulling her hair slightly. She followed my lead like a good girl.

When her legs hit the bed, I pushed down, pinning her to the bed. Magnus was purring in my head. Her hands fisted on my shirt and I continued to lick the sweetness from her mouth. I reached down, wrapping my fingers around her slim wrists. I gripped them firmly and she let go of me. I pinned her arms above her head, holding them with one of my own.

I used my other arm to lightly trace my way down her side. She wiggled under my touch, making me smirk into our kiss. We broke apart, both panting for air. Goddess she tasted amazing. I wanted to devour every inch of her. Her eyes were hooded, and her cheeks were flush. I trailed kisses down her jaw, all the way to her marking spot. She continued to squirm under me, only fueling my already throbbing cock.

“Baby, stop squirming or I won’t be able to resist…” I whispered into her neck. I trail my canines along her shoulder. I could feel her trying to suppress her shudder. I could not wait to have my way with this beautiful creature. But I needed to wait until she was ready. I removed my face from her neck and looked down at her face. I could not wait for her to be ready. The anticipation may kill me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, giving her a gentle kiss and releasing her hands.

“For what?” she said looking up at me.

“I am not trying to pressure you,” I said. “You are just very tempting and hard to resist.” I could not read the expression on her face as she nodded. I moved off her, letting her sit up on the bed. I pushed her now disheveled hair from her face. “Let’s get ready for bed,” I suggested. She smiled.

“Okay,” she said. I stood up and grabbed her bag from my desk where Lola had left it for me. I handed it to her, and she went to the bathroom to change. I walked into my closet, discarding my clothes in the hamper quickly. I usually only slept in shorts or sweatpants but I had been wearing a shirt so Remi would feel more comfortable. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt and left my closet. Remi was still in the bathroom, so I climbed onto the bed and checked my phone.

Nothing of consequence in my email as I closed my phone and put it on the charger. Remi soon emerged from the bathroom and my mouth watered. She looked delectable. She wore a loose, long sleeve shirt that she held the cuffs tight in her hands. She had on a pair of running shorts, showing off her tantalizing, soft legs. My cock twitched in my shorts as I watched walked towards me, her dark hair swinging in the simple ponytail she put it in. She didn’t even know how naturally submissive she was, and it was going to drive me insane.

She cocked her head in a questioning way as she approached. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No, everything is perfect,” I said, opening my arms for her. She climbed onto the bed and into my arms with no hesitation. She curled up in my lap, laying her head against my chest. I sighed as I let myself relax with her in my arms. I did not want to go to sleep just yet. I wanted to let her fall asleep and then go out for a run. All this pent-up energy and lust after Remi needed an outlet and Magnus needed some fresh air.

I did not have to wait long. Within 15 minutes, Remi was sound asleep in my arms. I gently moved her over to the pillow and snuck out of the bedroom. I turned back to look at her small form on the bed with a smile before heading out.

Cullen

I finally arrived back at the apartment. I loosened the tie around my neck as I waited for the elevator to take me upstairs. It was late and I was tired. I had been sleeping like s**t for days now and did not expect tonight to be much better. The elevator finally arrived, and the doors opened. I made my way upstairs through the quiet apartment. I expect everyone was well asleep by now.

I walked towards my bedroom, noticing that Calder’s bedroom door was open. I smelled her as I walked by, strong. I stopped in my tracks as I got a hint of something sweet mixed with her scent. I turned to peek into the room. I could just make out her small body curled up on the bed, but I didn’t see Calder anywhere. I stood there waiting for him to come out of the bathroom, knowing he would not leave her alone for long. The minutes dragged by and Calder was nowhere to be seen. I watched her small frame rise up and down with steady breath.

“Hold her just once,” Maximus urged. “Just feel her in your arms one time.”

I rolled my eyes, but my feet didn’t move away from the doorway. I just stared at Remi sleeping on the bed. My body had a mind of its own as I stepped into Calder’s room. The next thing I knew I was kneeling next to the bed, eye level with her. My fingers reached out and stroked her face. She sighed and a small smile danced across her lips. Maximus purred in my head. I removed my hand and just looked at her. She was so beautiful.

She rolled over, facing the other direction. I did not even realis my body was moving before I ended up laying behind her with my arm wrapped around her and my nose buried in her hair. She smelled divine and fit so perfectly against me. My entire body relaxed around her, engulfing her. I felt at ease for the first time in days as my eyes drooped. I knew I should not be doing this. I was never going to be able to reject her if I continued like this.

-

I woke up and it was still dark in the room. I realized immediately that I was still holding Remi and still in Calder’s bed. Remi was still fast asleep like a peacefully sleeping angel in my arms. I slowly and carefully extracted myself from her and got out of the bed. I stood up and looked down at her. There was movement across the room. I looked up to see Calder standing in front of his couch staring straight at me. We locked eyes. I turned and began to walk out of the room.

“Give in, Cullen. For both of your sake. Let her in, just give her a chance….” he linked me. I paused. “You’re hurting her. She feels your bond fracturing. You’re gonna break her…” He was pleading with me. He had no idea how much I wanted to let her in, to hold her in my arms at night, to mate her, to mark her. I wanted it all, but it wasn’t something I was allowed to have. I left the bedroom and silently went to mine.