Wild Moon: A Rejected Mate Romance

by C. R. Jane

  “It didn’t have to be like this, you know. We were going to ease you into this, convince you to stay before we told you our secrets,” Daxon told me.

  “I’m one of you. You have nothing to fear from me.”

  “We still don’t even know how you made it here without someone stopping you. We have guards in place to make sure no one passes into the town borders without our permission.”

  “It was just my luck,” I whispered, feeling suddenly like I had no idea who the man standing in front of me was.

  “We can’t let you go. I’m sure you can understand,” he said, taking a step towards me.

  “What? Daxon, please. I—”

  Something sharp pricked my neck just then, inserted by someone who’d crept up behind me while I was distracted with Daxon.

  My last image was of Daxon staring down at me, his golden eyes glowing…

  Everything went black after that.

  12

  Rune

  I awakened to darkness with a jarring gasp in my throat, and I jolted upright in bed. For a moment, I thought I was back in Alistair’s house, in my tiny bed in my dark room. I curled up, trembling. Alistair would be here any second…I’d be punished for sleeping in. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and every terrifying second that passed had me curling up tighter, dread swallowing me.

  Just then, the sweet laughter from Carrie came from somewhere downstairs, followed by Jim’s boisterous chuckle. A calmness settled over me. I was safe, as far from Alistair as possible.

  I laid there for a moment, blinking, staring at the dresser across the room from me. I was at the inn. The blinds were pulled shut, drenching everything into darkness.

  How did I get back to my room?

  What happened came trickling into my memory…slowly. The Town Run, Wilder turning into a fucking wolf, and me fleeing from him…from the whole town. Daxon had found me in the woods. And then everything faded to black.

  My heart thumped in my chest at the memories.

  I froze in front of Daxon, not able to move a muscle as if he’d cast a spell. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about the way the world came crashing down around me at his words.

  We can’t let you go, Daxon had said, and the look in his eyes would haunt me forever.

  He’d lied.

  Everyone in this place had.

  I couldn’t help but think of the time we’d spent together over the last few weeks. Our date, the way he’d made me laugh, those kisses that were forever burned into my memory. Those moments felt so real that my throat choked up just thinking of them. But after last night, I realized he’d been playing me the whole time. They all had.

  My breath caught in my chest as hate coursed through me.

  Why hadn’t I seen what was right in front of me?

  And now it was too late.

  They were all shifters…every single one of them. And I had no clue.

  What if they’d been in contact with Alistair this whole time and this had just been one elaborate trap?

  I was so fucked.

  I shoved the blanket off my legs and scrambled out of bed, noticing I still wore my ripped denim shorts and the black tank top from last night. At least my shoes had been removed. I padded right to the door and grabbed the handle. To my surprise, it opened up with ease. I had expected it to be locked. When I stuck my head out, there were only the usual sounds of voices downstairs, nothing out of the ordinary and no one standing guard near my door either.

  Quickly, I shut the door and marched across my room to the window.

  Sweeping open the curtains, the morning sunlight blinded me at first. I blinked through it and glanced down to the lawn and the nearby river down below. I didn’t see any guards waiting to stop me from leaving there either. Daxon had mentioned protectors watching the town though. I’m sure they were out there, waiting out of sight, and they’d be on high alert to keep an eye out for me if I tried anything.

  Crossing my arms tightly, I stood there, staring outside, my teeth chattering. I still couldn’t believe how everything had fallen apart yesterday, or that I’d somehow walked right into a wolf pack community.

  This was just another example of how I was cursed.

  I clenched my jaw, my heart hammering as the walls seemed to close in around me. The majestic view in front of me suddenly didn’t look so serene. I had traded one prison for another. And a prison, no matter how beautiful, was still a prison.

  I kept rubbing my hands on my arms, itching all over. I walked to the bed and grabbed a pillow, hurling it at the window as I screamed with frustration. Anger burned up my insides.

  “Fuck!”

  The pillow didn’t make it to the window, instead, it crashed into my water bottles on the table, sending them sprawling and clattering to the floor.

  We were going to ease you into this, convince you to stay before we told you our secrets.

  From the moment I arrived, I had sealed my fate, and they had no intention of letting me go.

  My whole body trembled, and the edges of my eyes feathered with darkness…with panic crawling over me. There had been a period of time where I’d had panic attacks constantly, and I could tell one was coming on right now.

  I rushed into the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water before cupping some in my hands and drinking it. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

  Gripping the sink, I stared into the mirror at my red rimmed eyes, at my messy hair. “Why?” I whispered to my reflection, wondering how one girl could have so much bad luck.

  Running from one monster and into the arms of another wasn’t exactly the most brilliant move. Yet that was exactly what I’d done.

  My heart squeezed as I ran through my options. I was pretty sure no amount of pleading was going to get me out of this situation. I checked outside the window again. Still no one out there.

  Hadn’t I known both of the men would spell trouble for me? And like always, hadn’t I ignored my own instincts?

  I trembled with fury, wearing a path on the floor as I paced. Anger flared under my skin each time Daxon’s words swept over my mind. They churned in my thoughts, deepening the ache of feeling trapped.

  A scream lashed my throat as I thought about what I could have done differently last night. I should have taken matters into my own hands and gone to get my car. It had been three weeks, surely it was at least drivable by now, if not all the way fixed. In a car, at least I wouldn’t have been hunted. Maybe I would have gotten away.

  I kicked myself for being blinded by a fantasy. Who wouldn’t have been overwhelmed by two guys who looked like Wilder and Daxon though? For a mess like me, their hot touch and sweet words had been like kryptonite. I cringed thinking of how I’d cried in front of them both. They must have gotten a good laugh from that.

  The overwhelming urge to lash out and hurt them was heavy in my chest. My throat constricted each time I thought about my arrival in town, the clues I’d seen about the residents not being humans, but my brain just hadn’t been able to accept that all the clues pointed to them being shifters.

  My pulse pounded. I couldn’t stay in my room a second longer or I’d go mad. I grabbed my sandals and my bag, and headed out. At the bottom of the stairs, my body tensed. Was I ready to look Jim and Carrie in the eyes? Right now, their kindness felt like a lie, even though something in my heart told me that wasn’t the case.

  Please let them not be there.

  Peering around the corner of the stairs and into the main bar section, I spied Jim vanishing into the kitchen. There was no sign of Carrie. This was my chance. I bolted toward the door and hurried outside into the scorching heat.

  I swung my attention left and right across the lawn, but no one came running toward me. I kept picturing being dragged off and locked up in a small room for the rest of my life, any chance of freedom a distant and impossible dream.

  I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  Unlike the time Alistair took everything from me, where I’d bee
n too young and broken by the loss of my mate to do anything, there was no way I was going to sit back and let anyone ever steal my freedom again. I was sure as hell going to find a way to leave this town.

  Shivers crept down my skin just then. I looked out across the river and woodlands around me, unable to shake the feeling I was being watched. I had no doubt that the moment I stepped foot in the forest, I’d be stopped.

  Unsure where to go, I began to walk, needing to move so I could think clearly. I started heading down the main street, the buildings no longer seeming so quaint in this new world I’d found myself in. I kept looking around, still expecting to be stopped. Was this some kind of game to try and give me a false sense of security and lure me into attempting an escape?

  An ache sliced down my back, the tension in my muscles only getting worse as I continued to think about Daxon’s words.

  I wanted to run.

  To cry.

  To hide.

  But I couldn’t.

  The streets were empty of people, only a few customers in the stores I passed. Everyone had been drinking pretty heavily the night before for the Town Run I’m sure they were still recovering.

  Before I knew it, I swung down the alleyway leading to the small grocery store. Maybe a bag of disgustingly unhealthy snacks to drown in was exactly what I needed, because I was going to go crazy at this rate. A giant tub of ice cream and a bag of Doritos was a must.

  Nothing seemed innocent anymore. Had it been a coincidence that a wolf had crossed the road in front of me? Had I been lured here from the beginning?

  Purposefully breathing slower to calm myself, I rubbed my arms and looked around as an older woman emerged from the grocery store. She threw me a quick glance, and then hurried away.

  Was she a shifter?

  That was a stupid question. Of course, she was. Was she watching me, like all the others, to ensure I didn’t go anywhere? My nerves danced just thinking about it.

  The front glass doors slid open for me, and I stepped inside the grocery store, greeted by the coolness of an air conditioner and white sterile walls. Five rows of shelves filled with foods and supplies lay beyond the one cash register, where a young girl checked someone out. It was a small place, but I guess it fit this small town.

  I collected a shopping cart, then pushed it down the first aisle, looking for what I wanted. The rows of food helped distract me. I was a second away from falling into a fetal position and never getting back up if I didn’t calm down.

  I needed to bide my time, act like I was resigned to my fate, find their weaknesses, and then make my escape fast. I could do this.

  I shoved the cart forward, and started adding Oreos, at least three packets, and a bag of nacho cheese Doritos. On the third aisle, I filled up on a pack of peach flavored iced tea. Always the peach.

  As I reached up to grab one more pack, because you can never have enough, someone rammed their cart into mine, sending it smacking into my hip.

  “Ouch.” I whirled around, still clutching the bottle of ice tea, and rolled my eyes when I saw it was Arcadia. Of course it was her. Just what I needed today…a little dose of psycho.

  My stomach dropped at the prospect of having to deal with her. That was when I noticed that while my shopping consisted of junk food, she had half a dozen bags of dog food, which was strange to say the least.

  “Watch yourself,” she snarled, pulling her cart away from mine, then steering past me, her upper lip curling over pristine white teeth. “Get in my way again, and you won’t see me coming. I’ve already warned you once that no one wants you here.” She stormed down the aisle, her heels click clacking against the linoleum, her skin tight red skirt curving over her round ass and tapering down to her knees. Quite the outfit for the grocery store.

  I arched a brow, half taken aback, half amused by her threat. Had she not received the memo that I was trapped here? I would gladly take up any offer to get out of here.

  Wilder’s words flared over my mind about their past, about the lost pregnancy, about the heartache she’d left behind. I stiffened, shaking my head in frustration that there was a part of me that seemed to still care what she’d done to Daxon and Wilder.

  Setting the ice tea into my cart, annoyance burst through me. “No need to be a bitch, Arcadia,” I called out to her.

  “Fuck you!” She swung back toward me, not someone to leave things alone, and she whacked her cart into another one belonging to a younger couple near her. They yelped at the impact, glaring at Arcadia.

  She started yelling at them, throwing her hands in the air, “Watch where you’re going, idiots. You’re not the only ones in this store.”

  The husband stepped forward, talking to her calmly with words I could barely decipher, while his wife frowned at Arcadia’s erratic behavior.

  I watched the exchange, amusement replacing annoyance. At least it wasn’t just me she had a problem with. The commotion drew the attention of the store manager, an older man, who got into the argument with Arcadia, pointing at her cart. She didn’t let up though, only getting louder.

  Instantly, something tugged at my chest, and I found myself stumbling toward them, my feet seeming to have a mind of their own. A slither of panic pierced through my chest over my lack of control. What was happening?

  The store manager noticed my approach and shook his head for me to stay back. But it was too late, and I instinctively placed a hand on Arcadia’s arm. Thickness filled the air, so heavy and overbearing, it washed over me with tainted rage, my blood boiling, my chest on fire from the fury erupting through my veins.

  Everyone looked at me, bewildered by what I was doing. Arcadia jerked her attention toward me, and if looks could kill, I’d be long dead.

  Energy pulsed in the air around me, and I shut my eyes to cope with the darkness pouring into me. In seconds, a bright light flashed behind my eyelids and vanished as quickly as it came. The anger tainting the air evaporated.

  “What did you do to me?” Arcadia’s voice came out soft, and almost sorrowful, a tone I never would have expected to hear from her.

  I pulled my hand back as I slid open my eyes, having no clue how this kept happening to me. Just like it had at the cemetery grounds with the mourning couple. Everyone stared at me as if I’d grown a horn, and I took a few steps back, not sure what to do.

  Arcadia blinked at me, completely stunned. All the anger in her expression had melted away. Only a serene look filled her eyes, one of calmness and confusion.

  “What just happened?” the store manager asked.

  Arcadia stared at me blankly.

  I shook my head, my lungs constricting, breath struggling. I was terrified at what had just occurred. I’d written off the cemetery incident, sure that it was just coincidence.

  But I couldn’t ignore this.

  It made no sense, nothing did, and the longer the four of them stared at me, the more panic I felt.

  “I-I don’t know.” Lowering my head, I ran out of the store, leaving my cart and its contents behind. I sprinted toward the inn, shaking the entire way.

  Something must be broken inside me, because normal people…normal shifters didn’t behave like that. I didn’t stop running until someone stepped in my way on the sidewalk, blocking my path.

  I stumbled to a stop, breathing heavily, and looked up.

  Wilder stood in front of me. Inky hair framed his face, strands hanging over one eye. Dense stubble coated his jawline, and those deep green eyes darkened as his thick eyebrows narrowed. Perfect, full lips made for kissing drew my attention, and I quickly looked away. I noticed he looked exhausted. Like he’d been awake all night.

  Fuuuuuck. “W-what do you want?”

  “In the mood to listen this morning?” The intensity behind his gaze pierced into me.

  He stood broad, arms stiff by his sides, telling me had no intention of leaving until we spoke.

  “That depends. Are you going to allow me to leave afterwards?” I asked snottily.

 
His silence spoke volumes.

  “Then I’m not in the mood,” I answered with a sigh.

  “Let’s go and talk somewhere private, Rune.”

  I stiffened, glaring at him. “I said no.”

  “And I’m not leaving until we do.”

  I gave him my best death glare, raised my chin, and turned away, having had enough. Before I took one step, he grabbed my arm at the elbow and wrenched me back to him. I spun back around, stopping short of colliding into his chest.

  Driving my gaze up to meet his, I hissed, “You can’t go around manhandling me.”

  “I can when you aren’t being reasonable.”

  His response made me furious, and I pushed against him, which was a little bit like trying to move a mountain.

  “I just want to talk,” he said, frustrated. Wilder released me and opened his palm up, offering it to me like a peace treaty.

  He was tall and formidable standing there. The black tee he wore revealed every angle and curve of his muscles, and my stupid heart couldn’t stop from thinking how attractive he was.

  “What do you say, Rune? Just let me explain some things.”

  Tension dug deep in my shoulder blades, and I couldn’t bring myself to respond at first. I just listened to the beating of my heart in my ears as I tried to think.

  I sighed finally, feeling like I didn’t really have a choice. And this could work towards my plan, letting them think I was going to cooperate. I would hear Wilder out, knowing full well he would force it on me regardless. And maybe he would tell me something that would help me to get out of here.

  “Fine, let’s make this short,” I said.

  He grabbed my hand in his, his expression blank, and he rushed me across the street, my feet practically flying from how fast he moved. We darted down an alleyway and emerged in a field with a dirt road and a few houses dotting the land. Most of them were small and made of brick, and a few even had white picket fences.

  Wilder drew me toward the only home that was two-story. Deep brown walls, black frames around the windows. The front yard had a short lawn, and a stone path leading from the street to the front door. There weren’t any flowers or decorative pieces, or a fence. He paused at the black arched door and unlocked it with keys from his pocket.