Page 6 of A Luna's Revenge (Stone Mountain Shifters)
Chapter 5 -
The Calm Before the Storm
Charlie
When Lana and I returned from our run, the screaming had stopped, but there was a buzz in the air. I couldn’t tell if it was coming through the mind link, as I had thrown up those walls the moment I entered the office and discovered my husband had cheated on me.
Being of an Alpha line myself, I’ve always been able to control my outward appearance, be it emotions, thoughts, or feelings. It’s one of the things that has made me a great Luna: that and my compassion.
Compassion is absent here because I haven't received much, if any, myself. My emotions and feelings have been ignored in this situation. So, I’ve decided to prioritize myself. Right now, the only ones who matter are me and Lana—no one else, not even a pup.
Speaking of Lana, she is in much better spirits today, and I think she is coming to terms with the reality of our situation. You teach people how to treat you by whether you put up with their abuse or not. And, yes, this is emotional abuse.
If you love someone, you don't cheat. If they get away with cheating once, what's to stop them from doing it again and again? I am worth so much more than that. And if the skank will stoop to the level of cheating with a married man, she has no self-worth either.
Walking in the back door, I see groups of pack members talking and laughing. Barely anyone acknowledges me. Skank nor Jenson are here. I creep up to the apartment. Thank the Goddess, it’s now empty. The bedroom looks trashed, with Jenson's clothes strewn all over the floor. I open my nightstand and retrieve the bottle of poison ivy powder. I had neglected to get rid of it, so I do so now. I go to the destroyed bathroom to flush it down the toilet, along with the label.
Next, I get my office key out of the secret compartment in my nightstand drawer. No one knows about this, not even Jenson. I installed it myself for various SIM cards or SD cards I needed to keep confidential. I know I have a safe, but this keeps things handy, and my drawer does have a lock I can use if needed.
With the key in hand, I make it to the office without meeting anyone. Once inside, I put my next step in play. I opened my drawer and took out the new cell phone I hadpurchased. It’s on a different plan and has no ties to Jenson or this address. Turning it on, I install the anti-tracking software I developed.
I connect my new hologram device and load it with the necessary software while I wipe the old device clean to the point that nothing can be retrieved. I enhance and update all network systems to ensure the pack’s safety.
Next, I send everyone the latest software to upload to their various devices to protect them from cyberattacks. I upload all critical files, emails, and anything else they will needin the future onto the network systems. I don’t want to leave them vulnerable.
I email our lead tech under me and advise him of where the emergency information folder can be found on the server and ask if he has any questions for me.
I set a timer on my new phone to remind me to schedule the deletion of my mailbox tomorrow.
Next, I completely clean out any personal items in my office and put them in the trash. Taking the bag out of the can, I toss it into the big cans in the office service room.
Taking the back exit out, I head to Mom and Dad's house. I won't leave them with much information, but at least they will have my number should they need me. I will be available to no one else.
I walk up to my childhood home and sit on the swing, swaying gently back and forth. Here is where Jenson and I sat many nights, at first just being kids, and then later came the kisses and the plans for the future. If I could go back and warn that girl, would I? I don't know. It was bliss while it lasted, even though it’s soul-sucking torture now.
Mom opens the door. "Are you coming in?"
"Yeah. Just reminiscing." I reply sadly.
"Poor thing." Momma strokes my hair, and I am taken back to childhood. Moms always make things better, don't they? “What are you planning to do, Charlie?”
“I’ve decided to leave,” I simply state. “I am not going to stay with a male who cheats; I don’t care if he is Alpha.”
“I figured you would say that,” she remarks. “You do remember your great aunt Renalda?”
“Yes.”
“She was a great healer with magical powers.”
“I remember.”
“When you were just a pup, Aunt Renalda had a cheating mate.”
“I don’t remember her having a mate, nor do I recall her having a mate mark.”
“That’s because she used a spell to sever her bond, one that has been passed down in our family for generations in this,” Mom replies; walking to the bookshelf, she retrieves a tattered leather-bound grimoire. “The magic that has been handed down in our family is talisman-based. This is your inheritance.”
I take the ancient book from her; it tingles as it touches my palm. As I heft the weight of the book, it falls open to reveal a talisman nestled within its pages. “What do I need to do?”
Mom points to the grimoire that has revealed its pages filled with symbols and illustrations. “This talisman is specifically for you. With it, you can perform magic to sever your bond with your mateand other things. You only need to believe in it and yourself.”
I look at the talisman, a white wolf made of opal surrounded by intricate designs. It feels alive somehow, pulsating with power. “How does it work?”
“It’s a bit of a process,” she says, “You place the talisman around your neck and speak the words while focusing on your intentions.”
“Focus on my intentions?” I ask.
“You believe it will happen, and it will,” she says. “In this case, you will use the incantation to break a mate bond.” She flips through the grimoire until she finds the one she wants. “See here.” She points at the page.
Reading aloud, “Wearing your talisman, speak the incantation to break the mate bond. Once the spell has released the magic into the air, you take a sharp silver dagger and cut the mate bond scar from your skin.”
“It sounds simple enough,” I remark. “This is how Aunt Renaulda did it?”
“Yes. My mother wanted to make sure that I knew how to do it should I ever have the need, so she went over the spell with me when she gave me my talisman.” She reaches up and clasps the necklace she is wearing. It’s very similar to my own, with slight variations in color and design.
“What instructions did she give?” I ask.
“Recite the spell,” she explains. “Be mindful of your purpose—the desire to be free from the mate bond. Severing it won’t be easy or painless, but I know you can do it.”
My heart lurches at the thought of breaking free from the pain of betrayal. “Will it truly work?”
“It will work,” Mom assures me. “You’re stronger than you thinkandhave the magic within you. You just need to trust it.” She taps my chest.
I nod, determination settling in.
“Good,” she says, a smile breaking through her concern. “You can’t do it now; it will give Jenson an unfair advantage. You must break it after you have left so he’ll not have the opportunity to Alpha command you to stay.”
Looking at the words on the page, I feel a deep connection with the women who have come before me. Each word reminds me that I come from a line of strong women who have faced their struggles fearlessly. I won’t let a cheating mate define my worth.
“So, memorize the spell, and when you’re ready and far away from here, you can perform the ritual. Or, if you want to stay here, you can move back in with me and your dad, and then we can perform the ritual together. Just know you are not alone in this, Charlie.”
I close my eyes for a moment, imagining the life I want. I realize I have choices. I can stay here and carve out my own life separate from Jenson, living under the ridicule and pity of the pack. Or, I can go out and create my own life—one free from the remnants of betrayal. I open my eyes, looking at my mother, who watches me with love.
“I’m ready to make necessary changes in my life,” I say, feeling the talisman’s power surge. “But I want a clean slate, so I am leaving as planned.”
Mom nods, her expression softening. “I understand, sweet girl. Let’s make this happen.”
Together, we prepare, and for once, despite the last couple of days, I feel hope. In this moment, I take back my power, andwith the magic of my bloodline within me, I know I’ll prevail.
I spend the next fewhours with my parents, practicing the ritual andupdating their phones with my new number.
As I say goodbye and walk back home, I go to the meadow and take out the garbage bag with my wedding dress. I hang it and the veil on the tree with the destroyed heart carving, placing the shoes and the bouquet on the ground. I look at my handiwork and feel a measure of satisfaction. It makes the statement I want him to remember. I take out my phone and snap a photo. A single teardrop makes its way down my chin. The last one I will allow.
I make my way back to the pack house. Not sure when the last time I ate was, so I decide to stop in the kitchen and make myself a sandwich.
Luck is not on my side this time, as a crying skank is seated in the dining hall with a towel wrapped around her head. With a ball cap on his head, Jensonis by her side again, feeding her bites of food and soothing her.
I quickly make a sandwich, grab some chips and a couple of drinks, and am about to leave when I notice the scratching. I pause. Climbing up on the barstool where I have a good sight line, I start munching on my food.
Jenson is feeding the skank a bite of food with one hand while scratching vigorously at his behind with the other. Eww, Ihope he doesn't wash that hand before he feeds her another bite; I giggle to myself.
I swallow a drink of water as he picks up a piece of bread with that same hand and feeds it to her. I swear to the goddess, I just about choke out. Quietly coughing up a lung and trying to stay hidden, I watch as Jenson scratches other unmentionable places.
It’s as if he has no idea what he’s doing; he istotally oblivious. Skank reaches between her thighs and scratches as well, squirming for good measure.
As the itch-fest ramps up, shifters around them are beginning to notice. Skank's lovely, devoted courtiers slowly slide away, putting distance between them.
Uh oh! Do the king and queen have cooties? Pretty soon, it appears that the itching is getting worse. Jenson and the skank are constantly digging at their underwear, while the power of suggestion is causing everyone in the near vicinity to begin to itch and scratch.
It isn't long before the skank screams again. "What the heck is going on? I can't stop itching!" She jumps up, and the towel falls from her head; she looks like she has mange. The shifters sitting next to her gape in horror.
Jenson leaps to his feet and yells, "I can't stop itching either!"
That's when sheer panic sets in. And the crowd goes wild! Mothers grab their pups and trample others while tearing out the door. Males shield their junk and back away in terror. In about thirty seconds, the room is cleared, but for Jenson and the skank, who are digging away at their privates like they are digging for gold.
I can't breathe. I kid you not, I am crawling up the stairs to my apartment to the satisfying sound of their screams. Lana is lying on the floor of my mind, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She has pissed herself from laughing so hard, and I nearly have too.
Someone must have called Dr. Shannon because I hear her come up the stairs, trying to calm them down enough to see what's wrong.
It's time to dispose of the evidence by dumping out the itching powder, rinsing the bottle, and destroying the label.
I use the time Jenson is occupied with the doctor to pack up my remaining belongings. I leave out one outfit and one old silky short PJ set.
My makeup, hair dryer, flat irons, shampoos, creams, and everything else I plan to take have already been loaded in my SUV. That includes the safe with my money, jewelry, essential documents, and my new hologram device. I left my old hologram deviceand the keys I no longer need on my desk. My office door is closed but unlocked.
I’ve already received a reply from the tech andanswered all his questions. I scheduled my email to be deleted at noon tomorrow with no forwarding address. With all evidence of my day's activities gone, I believe everything is set in motion.
I change into my short, silky PJs, pull back the blanket on the bed, and crawl in for the last time. Reaching into the nightstand, I take two melatonin supplements and fall into a blissful sleep.
It's late when Jenson makes his way into the room. I peek at the clock, and it’s just past 11:00 p.m. My back is to him as he stumbles to the bed and drops. I am not sure if he is intoxicated on alcohol or Benadryl, and as per my new normal, I don't care. He is snoring before his head touches the pillow. Being at the skank’s beck and call must be tiring.
Not ten minutes have passed when the skank starts screaming the house down for the third time today. Ah. The snake has come out to get warm and cuddle.
Jenson shoots up in the bed, screaming as well. Startled, I am knocked out of the bed backward and hit the floor hard. Ouch. That will leave a mark.
Jenson ignores me and rushes out the door as if he didn't just cause me tofall out of bed. I hear multiple voices outside my door as everyone who is still at the pack house or staying here has come to see who is being murdered now. Huffing, I crawl back in the bed to sleep.