Divine Luna Awakening

***Leila POV***

"Shit!...fuck!"

I paused, trying to remember who Damien's neighbors were. They were really going at it this hot afternoon. A blush spread on my face, they were really loud.

"Harder babe...there!... right there!!..."

Is Damien's walls also this thin? My blush spread, will people hear us when we do it?

I hurried, trying not to make much noise as I passed. Damien's house was separated from his neighbors' by a narrow path that acted as a shortcut from my house to his.

"I'm cumming!!"

Goddess...this was really embarrassing. If they hear my footsteps, they'll think I'm a pervert.

"Fuck!!"

That voice...I finally made it to the front of my fiance's house. I guess I'll have an interesting story to tell him.

Does he always hear them when they go at it?

Using my keys, I let myself into his house. I noticed the black pair of shoes that I got for Alessia, my best friend, on her birthday. I placed mine beside it after keeping it in a better position.

A small smile appeared on my face as I thought of her. Alessia and Damien were my favorite people in the world. We had been a group for so long. It didn't come as a shock to anyone when Damien and I announced our relationship.

But, I wasn't informed that Alessia would be here. I looked at the foodstuffs in my hand, we'll have to manage.

"That was so good...What's the occasion?" I heard Alessia say, her voice was low.

Did Damien already buy food?

"Don't tell me you already bought..." I trailed off as the scene I walked into sank in.

Alessia screamed and covered herself while Damien froze in shock.

I blinked, "...no..."

"Leila..." Alessia started, looking guilty.

"But...why?..." The bag of foodstuffs fell out of my trembling hand. Tears clouded my vision at an alarming rate.

Damien scrambled up and quickly wore a short.

"Leila...wait, let me explain."

"It was you..." a bitter laugh escaped from my lips, "...I was going...I was going to tell you about your wild neighbors...and it turned out that I am the topic of gossip..." The tears fell freely.

"... Leila please..." Alessia began.

"No...how could you??... I'm your best friend!!"

She flinched and hung her head.

"If...if you had feelings for each other..." my heart broke further, "...why...why didn't you say anything?!..."

"Leila calm down, please...we can talk about..." Damien started heading for me.

"No!!..." I stepped back, "... don't follow me or come near me...you make me sick!!"

I ran out, ignoring Damien's calls.

How long have they been doing it? From the beginning? Another laugh escaped as I remembered Damien and I promising to wait till the mating ceremony.

Of course he'll wait, he will wait for me while satisfying himself with my best friend.

How many people knew? His neighbors clearly knew, goddess knows how many people they have told.

I ran into my house and straight to my room, ignoring my family that was having lunch.

"Leila?!" Father called, I banged my room door in response, locking it behind me.

It was childish, but I needed space.

I sank to the floor, leaning on my door and allowed myself to cry properly.

How does one cheat after making commitments? Did he not respect me as a person? The least he could do as a friend, was to tell me he started having feelings for Alessia!!

My hurt began to morph into fury. I did everything right? I was good, understanding, kind and every fucking thing someone would want in a love partner.

And this is what I fucking get from it!!

The fury changed to bone deep sorrow and I started sobbing, ugly sobs left the back of my throat.

"Leila. Open the door" I heard dad say.

I covered my mouth, trying to muffle my sobs.

"Leila...open the door."

I don't want to...I want to wallow in self pity and heartbreak for a while before getting up and pretending for the world. But as usual, dad wasn't having it.

Hurriedly, I dried my eyes. Things would get ugly if I kept him waiting and I was in no mood to deal with more emotional stress.

I unlocked the door, pulled it open and stared at my father. The Beta of the pack.

He took in the tear stains on my face and my red eyes but he didn't comment which I appreciated. I moved from his way and he entered.

"What's wrong?"

I eyed him wearily. What does he want? He may be my closest relative but there was no love between us.

"I broke up with Damien."

"Why? I thought things were good between you two."

I smiled bitterly, "he loves Alessia's pussy more."

He raised his eyebrow and I flushed. What was I saying?

"Tell me what happened without the dramatics."

I sighed and looked around the room that I had grown up in. The room that I thought I would soon leave behind.

"I caught Damien cheating on me with Alessia..." I told him everything. Although we didn't have the best relationship, I was grateful that he came to talk to me. Talking about it made me calm down.

"I see..." he said once I was done, "... you can come in now."

I froze as Damien walked into my room. His head was bowed in shame.

"Dad?"

"He came to apologize. Hear him out and sort out the problem."

Huh??...

"Dad, I just told you what happened!!"

"And I heard you. Unfortunately, the mating ceremony can not and will not be cancelled."

My heartbeat increased...blood rushing in my ears.

"Why..."

"Leila..." Damien started.

"Shut the fuck up!!" I focused on my father. "I have endured every thing that your wife, daughter and even you that is supposed to be my father threw at me..." I glared and he clenched his jaw, "...so...so why do you want me to do this?...do you take pleasure in my suffering?" my voice was low but hoarse, all that crying was affecting it.

"I don't know why you're being dramatic..."

"Dramatic?" I cut him off, ignoring the anger in his eyes at my blatant disrespect, "you want me to spend my forever with a cheat and liar. I refuse and that's dramatic."

"My decision is final Leila" he said and started leaving.

Why? What did I do wrong?! My pain woke my wolf up.

"I'll kill him..." I whispered, stopping dad in his track.

****Leila POV***

Beta Carlson, strong, huge, a skilled hunter and a deadly wolf. Definitely not someone you want to be on his bad side.

He was also my currently pissed off father.

He turned and looked at me. The warning in his eyes would have made me stop any other day. But, the rage in my mind made today different.

"Repeat that." His voice was chilling.

"There are only two things that will happen if you force me into this marriage..."

My heart was beating so hard, I thought it was about to leave my chest.

"... Damien will get so sick of me and kill me himself or I will kill him...that will definitely happen because I won't let myself get killed by that type of man..."

Was I bluffing? Probably, the anger in my veins stopped me from feeling any other thing. But, mentally I know that there's no way I can go from loving someone to killing them. At least, not on the same day.

"Leila!!"

Angry red veins threatened to pop out of father's head. Damien had shifted to a corner, trying to make himself smaller. I could feel his gaze.

"What?...so it's acceptable for you to seal my fate like this and wrong for me to do so?"

This wasn't me...is this the beginning process of becoming a cold, bitter, lonely wolf?

"You won't disrespect me like that in my house." He stalked closer to me. I stood, my eyes not leaving him.

"Respect is earned father...you don't expect me to take disrespect from you and give you respect do you?"

"You little...!"

Father grabbed my neck with his right hand, my back hit the nearest wall. He gave me a warning squeeze, cutting out my air supply for a moment.

"Beta Carlson..." Damien started objecting.

Father ignored him, "Watch yourself girl."

This was the first time father used his strength on me. The fact that it was because of a marriage that I didn't want made the knife of betrayal sink deeper in my heart.

My wolf was growing frantic in my head, frustrated that she couldn't help me.

"Getting killed by your hands wasn't an option..." I started, looking into the dark eyes of the man supposed to be my father "...but you can do it...after all, the family name must be protected at all costs right father?"

"Leila!!" He growled with Damien echoing him sounding shocked.

I was also shocked. I never saw myself behaving like this, not even in the fantasies that I had about speaking up for myself to my family. I should have let myself get this angry sooner.

I giggled, it sounded strange because of his tight grip on my neck.

"I see...so that's what's going on..."

"Have you fucking lost it girl?" Something flashed too quick in his dark eyes for me to recognize.

"... sadly no father. I'm just realizing what this is all about...I just realized that you both are the same, fucking other girls with so much joy and moving on to mate someone else with no care about how the women you left are doing."

His face became red and it was getting really hard to breathe.

"What if Alessia is pregnant?... we'll have another little Leila in our pack won't we father?"

Father growled and pressed harder.

My wolf was pleading, terrified in my head and Damien finally grew the balls to help.

Father flung him across the room with his second hand.

Tears fell from my eyes, the pain in my heart numbed the pain from my throat. I watched my father squeeze my life out with his hands.

"...tha...that's...it..." I managed to say.

"Carlson?..." I heard someone call.

My vision became clouded with dark spots.

"Carlson!! Stop!!...STOP IT!!"

Father snatched his hands away from me like I burnt him. I fell to the floor, gasping and coughing.

I looked up to see Sonia my step mom, whispering to my father. He looked like he was trembling but tears filled my eyes and I can't see properly.

It seems like the bitch was the one who saved my life. Panting, I sat up, leaning on the wall and watched them leave.

"... Alpha Xander is back...he..." I heard her whisper before they left the room.

My stepsister Amelia, grinned at me looking happy at my near death experience. I took a little pleasure in watching her eyes widen in shock as I smiled back at her.

She slammed the door behind her.

Whimpering, I curled up and started crying. I tried to stop any sound from leaving my bruised throat, the vibrations only made the pain worse. But, it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

My wolf Lea tried to comfort me. I was alone now. Betrayed by the only two people that I trusted, almost killed by my father and would have been happily buried by the rest of my family.

I should go rouge...this night will be peaceful enough because Alpha Xander had returned and father would be by his side. Amelia might want to try something but I'll bear it. Tomorrow...tomorrow, I'll leave.

Alpha Xander...wait!

I sat up as a new idea began to form...

"Leila..." I flinched, swallowing my scream as I realized it was Damien.

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. He must have past out when father threw him.

"Are you okay?" He stopped a few feet away from me, uncertain about my reaction if he came closer.

Last night, he would have dragged me into his arms and buried his face in my neck.

I stared at him. There was no point in trying to see how hurt my throat was by talking to him.

"I'm sorry. I know that what we did hurt you, but we didn't intent to."

I raised an eyebrow at him. They had a fine way of showing that.

"Really...I realized that I love the both of you and none of us have found our true mate. I brought the idea of a polygamous relationship between the three of us and she agreed..."

I stood up, suddenly tired of everything.

"Leila?"

I ignored him and walked out. He didn't follow. My body was following my foolish plan.

I ran out of the house, leaving my neck open for the pack to see.

Panting, I stopped in front of my destination.

I'm crazy, what am I doing?! This could end up badly.

Swallowing painfully, I opened the door, ignoring the shocked look of everyone present.

"Alpha." I lowered my head, my father's gaze burning the side of my face. "My father, beta Carlson is forcing me into a mating ceremony I do not want."

***Leila POV****

I could feel all their stares but I didn't raise my head.

It was foolish I know, almost too daring but that was the only way out of this mating ceremony I could think of.

"Raise your head," Alpha Xander said. His voice firm and uncompromising I raised my head and met his eyes. They were dark and unfathomable. I could not see any emotions in them.

"Repeat yourself" he ordered.

"I caught my fiance cheating on me. I made my father aware of it and yet, my father wants me to go along with the mating ceremony."

The hair at the back of my neck stood at the instant change in the room's atmosphere. I looked around noticing that I wasn't the only one that was tensed up.

"Carlson, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Alpha, I'm looking out for my daughter. She has been friends with her fiance for a long time, I do not want her to end a friendship based on a misunderstanding."

"Are you trying to say that cheating is a misunderstanding?" Alpha Xander asked, he didn't look pleased.

"No Alpha..."

"Then what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm trying to say that she may not be right. Won't it be better for her to talk to her fiance and know what's actually going on than for her to assume and destroy her relationship?"

Seriously?! I'm assuming?

The two generals present looked uncomfortable. Their eyes bounced from Alpha Xander to my father to me.

Their gaze reminded me that I forgot to cover my neck. I glanced at my father, his hands were clenched but there were beads of sweat on his forehead.

He was angry but the fear of Alpha Xander overruled it.

"Carlson, there are marks on your daughter's neck."

Father swallowed, his gaze darting from left to right, trying to avoid Alpha Xander's penetrating gaze. I've never seen him like this...I don't know how to feel about it.

Fortunately for him, Alpha Xander focused on me.

"Who did that to you?"

Fuck!! I didn't think about this. I glanced at father, he didn't meet my gaze. I couldn't ignore the question.

"They look recent, is the person close by?" Regan, one of Alpha Xander's generals asked.

My gaze briefly went to my father's direction. I couldn't help it.

"Um...I..."

"What did you do Carlson?" Alpha Xander asked, his eyes narrowed.

Fuck, he had followed my gaze. There goes my peaceful night...I resisted a shiver at the fear of what might happen to me at home.

Father lowered his head to the ground, shocking the generals.

"I'm sorry Alpha, I took her punishment too far. I accept any punishment you give me."

Alpha Xander had killed the last alpha so he could take over. The last alpha was a tyrant and a self centered bastard. Alpha Xander's ruthlessness in battle and he's shrewd mind made the pack to both fear him and respect him.

"There are laws Carlson. No one is forced into a mating they don't want, you will be punished accordingly. As for the marks..." he leaned forward "...I will let it slide this time. There will be no next time."

It wasn't a question.

*Yes Alpha."

My wolf finally settled, she had sensed the relief in my heart. I was no longer going to mate with Damien, the plan had worked.

"Take her to the healer Regan."

"Thank you Alpha. Thank you." I bowed.

For a moment, his gaze softened as I raised my head.

Regan and I walked in silence. I noticed his frequent questioning look. We weren't close but he always kept an eye on me when he was around. Not even my stepmother could try anything funny when he was around.

"Leila..." he started. A small smile appeared on my face, he was also a little bit impatient.

"...did...did your father really do that? To your neck?"

I nodded, my talk with the Alpha had taken a toll on my throat.

"I may have said some things..." my voice sounded like a croak.

"Stop. Stop talking, let your throat rest."

I raised a brow and he smiled.

"I know I'm the one that asked. Sorry, I forgot...But, no matter what you said, he shouldn't have done that. It looks like he was planning to kill you."

I looked down, the ground suddenly became more interesting.

Regan stopped, "What was he thinking?!!"

Huh?... that's true, Damien and Alessia were my only friends but I have people that at least cared that I was alive.

"Some people beg the goddess for children during moon and after moon..." he grabbed my wrist, gently, and dragged me all the way to the healer's place. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face.

Someone cared and he was angry on my behalf.

"...and some idiot tries to kill the one that he was given...what's even his problem?...did Sonia ban him from her bed?..."

I gasped flustered.

"... that's not even a good reason to do this...Babe?!"

The healer of our pack was Regan's mate. I am her most regular patient because of my poor link with my wolf. I don't have fast regeneration like the others do, my sensory perception was lacking compared to the others and I didn't have their strength. These factors led me to the healer's doorstep every other day.

"Honey? Did your meeting go well?" Marenza asked as she entered the room, drying her hands with a towel.

"It was something" Regan grumbled.

She raised a brow, "what does that mean?"

I moved from behind Regan, stepping into her line of sight.

"Leila? I thought you have finished this week quota?"

Marenza had given me two days a week and a free day for emergency to come to her place. It was her way of ensuring I wasn't too reckless with my body.

"You've used your three days for the week and you know the rule."

Yeah...if I came back for a fourth day, I have to endure the pain over night.

"This is a big emergency babe..." he gave her a little peck, "...look at her neck."

"What the fuck?!" She lifted my head to get a good look.

"I can see the fucking fingerprint of the fucker that did this...who is the bastard?"

Marenza never minced her words. She would tell you how bad it was even if your guts were falling out.

"It's Carlson" Regan said.

Marenza looked at her mate in disbelief, he sighed.

"I'm going to cut his hand off!!"