Ella’s POV
I came out of the bathroom, and Kevin was already gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, my gaze scanning the floor, which had been cleaned, and the bed, now adorned with new sheets. My tattered work clothes were neatly placed on the sofa. I sniffed the air, still filled with the scent of sex from the night before.
Kevin was surprisingly a gentleman, even after a one-night stand.
Lucy bounced out, wagging her tail happily. I could sense that after the release of last night’s desires, she had become more energetic. As a youthful she-wolf, she should be eager for a mate.
I used a towel to dry my damp blonde hair, walked to the dressing table, and saw my refined face in the mirror. I lifted the wet hair on my neck to wipe it off and discovered marks on my skin. I was stunned.
In a panic, I approached the mirror, fingers caressing the red marks. It was then that I realized the scent on me wasn’t just from Kevin’s lovemaking; he had marked me during my heat!
Oh, my goodness, Ella, we’ve been marked!
You know, a male wolf marks a female by engraving his scent on her, declaring to other male wolves that she belongs to him.
Lucy whined in frustration, causing my head to buzz from her loud voice. I was stunned for 5 minutes, unable to digest this information at all. Damn it, what I feared happened. Thinking about Kevin pretending to be innocent this morning ignited a fire within me; that guy was a jerk!
I dropped the towel, stormed out of the room, and went to the yard to find Kevin. At this moment, he and Liam were helping Camila move boxes. Seeing me approaching, he greeted me with a smile, “Good morning, Anna.”
I glared at him. His nonchalant demeanor made me feel annoyed. Expressionless, I grabbed his collar, “You, come with me now!”
“Alpha…?” Liam was puzzled.
“It’s okay, you keep moving the goods,” Kevin waved to Liam, who looked sympathetically at Kevin as I dragged him away.
Inside the storage room, I closed the door, and Kevin was about to speak when I slapped him across the face.
“Kevin, you’re shameless!”
His left cheek turned red, he dropped the smile, and an ominous aura surrounded him, making me uneasy. The air stagnated for a moment; his voice turned icy.
“Are you angry because I marked you?”
“Shouldn’t I be angry? Kevin, I don’t love you, and I don’t want to be your mate. You marked me while I was not fully conscious; that’s wrong!”
“So you hate me.” He seemed hurt by my words.
“Kevin, I don’t hate you. You’re just a man I’ve known for less than a month. I just hope you stick to our agreement. After the deadline, you and your Beta leave here and never appear in front of me again!”
Kevin also seemed angry now. “So no matter what I do, you won’t change your opinion of me.”
“Yes, Kevin. Not all she-wolves will be captivated by you. At least I’m not. Recognize your place and stop being annoying.” I gritted my teeth; he never reflected on himself, just like five years ago.
“I can’t do that, Anna. We’re mates, a bond bestowed by the Moon Goddess. Neither you nor I can break it!” Kevin stubbornly stated.
I felt frustrated and said defiantly, “Fine, Kevin. I, Ariana Moore, hereby reject becoming your second mate.”
He fell silent, his blue eyes staring intensely at me, saying nothing, as if suppressing something without letting it explode.
A few minutes passed, and we remained frozen in place. His silence made me feel a bit fear. I wanted to leave when I was about to turn around; he spoke.
“I, Kevin Allen, do not accept your reject.”
I paused.
Then he sighed, his hands resting on my shoulders as he leaned in, forehead against mine, “Ella, can you please stop tormenting me?”
“What are you talking about?” I widened my eyes.
“I’ve already figured out your identity, Ella. You’re not Anna Edwards, and not my second mate; you’re my only mate. ” He held my shoulders, deep blue eyes gazing into mine, full of affection and sincerity, making my heart race.
“You…” I stared at him in shock, feeling extremely flustered. So, he knew all along and pretended not to, and I remembered how hard I had been trying to act for the past month. It was embarrassing. I forcefully pushed him away and ran out of the storage room.
Kevin’s POV
“That’s fine, Kevin. I, Ariana Moore, hereby reject becoming your second mate.”
At that moment, I felt like my entire body was frozen.
Oh, no, Kevin, you’ve been rejected.
Eric jumped out, and in the silent minutes that followed, he burst into laughter.
Hahaha, Kevin, although I’m feeling quite uncomfortable too, I have to say, our mate is really something. She’s the first she-wolf to reject you.
The werewolves of the Blood Moon pack all consider you the most charming alpha, but I have to admit, sometimes you’re just too arrogant. Look, now you’ve been rejected.
Five years ago, you rejected Ella in the same way, and now she’s rejecting you in a similar fashion…
My head was buzzing, feeling restless, and then I roared to my wolf: Stop, Eric, don’t revel in someone else’s misfortune. We are one; it’s us who got rejected by our mate.
Fine…
Eric pouted.
Right now, Ella was close to me, but I felt like she was getting farther away, all because I couldn’t control myself last night, marking her, breaking the carefully maintained relationship of the past month. I regretted it deeply. I sighed, calming down the anger from the recent slap, making myself composed. I was afraid Ella would truly run away because of this.
“I, Kevin Allen, do not accept your reject.”
Faced with her silence, I felt a little panicked.
I placed my hands on her shoulders, leaned in, and pressed my forehead against hers, “Ella, can you please stop tormenting me?”
“What are you talking about?” she widened her eyes, disbelieving.
“I’ve already figured out your identity, Ella. You’re not my second mate; you’re my only mate. Can you stop lying to me?” Saying those words felt relieving.
I didn’t want to expose her unless absolutely necessary, but the one-month deadline was approaching, and I absolutely didn’t want to leave the Blue River pack or her. I wanted to hear what she had to say, but she pushed me away and ran out of the storage room.