Chapter 2: I, The Beta Of The Blood Moon Pack, Reject You As My Fated Mate!

Avery

I pushed forward, following both the scent and now the sounds, until I reached a small clearing bathed in moonlight. What I saw there froze the blood in my veins.

My enemy girl Eva was completely naked, straddling Kevin—our pack's Beta—as she rode him with wild abandon. Her hands were tangled in his wet hair, her head thrown back in ecstasy.

Despite the cool night, their bodies glistened with sweat in the moonlight.

"Fuck, Kevin, you feel so goddamn good," she moaned, grinding her hips against him. "Tell me who you belong to."

"You," he groaned, his hands gripping her hips so tightly I could see his fingers digging into her flesh. The rose tattoo on her thigh seemed to dance with each movement, while the skull tattoos on his muscular arms flexed with his every motion. "Fuck, Eva, only you."

"That's right," she purred, leaning down to bite his lip hard enough to draw blood.

I clamped my hand over my mouth so hard my nails dug into my skin, drawing blood. I couldn't make a sound. Couldn't let them know I was there.

But the pain in my chest was crippling now, making it impossible to run away. All I could do was hide behind the massive oak tree and witness the desecration of what should have been sacred.

Why, Moon Goddess? I silently pleaded. Why would you make him my mate if he belongs to her? Why torment me like this?

I slid down the trunk until I was curled into a ball on the forest floor, silent tears streaming down my face.

Each thrust, each moan sent fresh waves of agony through my body. The connection between mates meant I could physically feel his pleasure—pleasure he was experiencing with someone else.

Their passionate encounter seemed to last forever. Eventually, the obscene sounds subsided, replaced by tender whispers and soft laughter. Eva snuggled into Kevin's arms, nuzzling her small nose against his neck.

Kevin was smiling contentedly, eyes half-closed—until suddenly they shot open wide with shock.

He sniffed the air, his entire body tensing. When he spoke, his voice was rough with disbelief.

"Mine!"

Eva's face twisted with confusion, her perfect features scrunching up as she stared at Kevin. "What did you say, babe?"

Kevin didn't even acknowledge her. His chest heaved with rapid breaths, nostrils flaring wide as he sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"Who is there?" he growled, voice dropping to a guttural register that made my blood freeze in my veins.

I pressed my trembling body harder against the oak tree, praying to the Moon Goddess that the shadows would swallow me whole. My legs shook so violently I could barely remain standing. The burning pain in my chest was overwhelming, making it hard to even think straight.

Kevin's jaw clenched, muscles in his neck straining as he rose to his feet, completely naked and unashamed. "My fist won't wait patiently for you to come out. I'm giving you three seconds! If you don't show your fucking face, I'll kill you myself!"

The cold brutality in his voice made me whimper involuntarily. This was my mate? This cruel, heartless monster who'd just been with another woman? The connection between us pulsed painfully, like an open wound being salted.

Eva scrambled to grab her tiny dress, panic written all over her face. "What? There's someone fucking watching us?" She looked around wildly, trying to cover herself. "Who the hell is out there?"

Kevin yanked on his jeans but left them unbuttoned, his sculpted torso still gleaming with sweat in the moonlight. The skulls tattooed across his muscular arms seemed to grin at me mockingly.

"Five seconds have passed already! You still not planning to come out?" His black eyes glittered with predatory coldness, scanning the treeline. I knew he could sense exactly where I was hiding.

Fighting through waves of nausea and pain, I clutched my chest and forced myself to stand. My legs felt like they might buckle at any moment. Taking a deep breath that felt like inhaling broken glass, I stepped out from behind the tree.

Eva's eyes widened dramatically, her perfectly plucked eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. "Look who we have here!" she spat, venom dripping from every word. "What's the murderer doing out here spying on us, you fucking—"

Before she could finish, Kevin cut her off with a raised hand. His black eyes locked onto mine, and I saw nothing there—no warmth, no recognition, no bond. Just cold, empty hatred.

"I, Kevin, Beta of the Blood Moon Pack, reject you, Avery, a slave of the Blood Moon, as my fated mate and future wife!"

Each word was like a physical blow. His face contorted with disgust as he spoke, as if my very existence revolted him. The ceremonial rejection words hung in the air between us, heavy and final.

As the last syllable left his lips, blinding pain erupted inside me. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my ribcage, pulverizing my organs from the inside out. My knees gave way as I collapsed to the forest floor, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

Kevin, wholly unmoved by my suffering, turned back to Eva. He pulled her against his chest, his hands roaming possessively over her body as he whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. He began kissing her neck, working his way down her body while staring directly at me, making sure I witnessed every touch.

Eva met my gaze over Kevin's shoulder, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "You better run along now," she moaned deliberately, arching her back as Kevin's mouth found her nipples and bite it. "You'd better pray you don't... mmm... run into us in the pack... oh god, babe..." The last part was directed at Kevin, who had begun to focus his attention on her again.

I couldn't move, couldn't tear my eyes away from the horrific scene.

Kevin glanced at me sidelong, his black eyes like bottomless pits. As his finger continued fucking Eva's snatch, he flashed me a smile that belonged on a demon—cruel, taunting, and utterly pitiless.