Our Luna, Our Mate by Linda Middleman novel Chapter 1

Athena’s POV

“Diana?”

Raising an eyebrow I can’t help but eye the girl before me. Light blonde hair and emerald color eyes are both beautiful yet deadly as her petite frame of 5 '8 stands before me while dressed in a light blue sundress that flared out slightly at the waist and a pair of beige sandals.

“Heard mommy told you that you had to help me and Brian with the Mating Ball” sneers Diana as she stands before me arms crossed as if she had been listening to mine and Aunt Leah’s conversation.

“As if I have a choice” I mutter to her, my eyes moving to gaze at the floor. “Although.. I don’t see why you even need to attend the ball when your fucking with my ex-mate.”

Bracing myself for impact, I knew what would happen as I spoke those words and I was right as soon as those words left my mouth, she had shoved me up against my bedroom door, the handle now digging into my lower back as she did.

“Listen here you WHORE! Jacob is far too good for you. The Moon Goddess made a terrible mistake when pairing the both of you together and for once I am grateful that he rejected you. I on the other hand will make a wonderful Luna while my Brother becomes his Beta and right hand of the pack” hisses Diana as her grip on me tightens.

“....F-Fuck you” I growl out as I try to free myself from her, her grip strong for that of a Beta’s daughter.

“That can be arranged” smirks Diana as she moves to lean closer to my ear. “After all, it’s all Jacob loves to do when he’s with me”.

At hearing those words I can’t help but be reminded of that fateful day. A day I would never forget as it had also been the day my life became a living nightmare. I had just turned 18 when I was standing just outside the pack High School when I caught the most wonderful scent. The scent was that of pine and smoke, an earthy smell that made me curious as to who it belonged to as I had never smelled anything like that before and so used my nose to help lead me to it as Artemis paced around in the back of my mind.

‘Everything okay?’ I ask her.

‘I feel something… Today is going to be special’ remarks Artemis as she keeps pacing.

‘Special huh?’ I answer back as I keep searching for the smell only for it to lead me ever so slowly towards the front of a small clearing, a clearing off near the side of the school and to the person it belonged to.

“No…” I whisper as I stand mere feet from none other than Jacob. Jacob Blackwood, Future Alpha of the Moon Walkers and the school's biggest playboy known to man as he always slept around with different women and today was no exception, except, he was now with Diana.

Jacob’s POV

Today started off normal or as normal as it could be as I stood off to the side of the High School, waiting for Diana. We had only a few minutes left to spare before classes and I had desperately wanted her, my wolf Koga on edge suddenly.

‘Everything okay buddy?’ I ask him.

‘Something feels off’ grunts Koga as he paces around within my head.

‘Can you sense what it is?’ I ask again.

‘NO’ growls Koga.

Just then, before I can give another reply I suddenly feel two arms wrap around me and a familiar scent wash over me causing me to smirk as if I knew it was Diana. “Baby” coo’s the voice I’ve come to love as she holds me.

“Hey Babe” I answer back before moving to kiss her a small moan rising past her lips. While we continue to kiss I’m suddenly hit with another scent, a scent that leaves me wanting more and Koga purring like a kitten as we take in the scent of rain and lavender.

‘MATE’ says Koga as he tries to look for her.

‘Really?’ I ask as I try to search for her while being discreet with Diana, no point in her finding out since we weren’t true mates to start. But as my gaze continues to wonder I can’t help but notice that my eyes finally land on those of her cousin, Athena. Athena like most girls stood about 5’6 in height and was currently standing not to far from us, her long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes adding to her exotic features as well as her milky cream skin which was adorned by a silk black tank top, white capri shorts and an elegant black flat.

Shit! I mentally groan, Athena was my mate and while I’ll admit she is a beauty I clearly didn't love her, my heart is currently with Diana, her cousin.

“Gladly” replies Jacob as I hear Artemis whining sadly from inside my mind, both knowing what was about to happen.

‘Don’t worry Artemis… He doesn’t deserve us’ I tell her bravely even though I too found little comfort in those words.

‘You are right, sweet child… The Moon Goddess will give us another chance at love and give us someone who will love us’ remarks Artemis.

Nodding I held my breath as I waited for the words that I knew would cause me pain as it was uncommon for a wolf to reject their mate, especially their fated mate but even so some wolves did just so they could take a chosen mate, one that they wanted over their god given mate.

“I, Future Alpha, Jacob Blackwood hereby reject you, Athena Moonblood as my mate and future Luna of this pack” come the firm spoken words of Jacob as a wave of pain washes over us as our mate bond begins to break.

“I, Athena Moonblood, hereby ac-” suddenly before I can finish my words, Jacob has his hand around my neck while blocking the words I desperately needed to say so that I could be free of him.

“NO! You will NOT accept it” growls Jacob as he continues to grip my neck, my hands trying to remove him from around my neck as if he was trying to keep me from finishing the rejection so that he could still have some sort of hold over me.

Panicking, I quickly move to kick him in the knee cap as hard as I can which causes him to yelp as he releases me, giving me the chance I needed to finish my rejection and freeing us.

“I, Athena Moonblood, hereby accept your rejection and release all ties to you and Future Luna of this pack.”

Once said I suddenly feel it, the final snap of the mate bond which sends us both to our knees in pain as Diana quickly makes her way over to us, trying to help Jacob by holding onto him.

“Just you wait until I tell mommy and daddy, they’ll be so angry at you for trying to steal my mate” cries Diana in anger all the while I try to catch my breath, the pain slowly subsiding all thanks to being the daughter of an Alpha.

“Mate? More like Thief” I ground out as I stagger to stand back up, a glare now on my face. “He was supposed to be mine, but thanks to you he’s not” and with that I turned back around and ran from the school suddenly no longer interested in being there so long as both Jacob and Diana were there.