Page 7 of A Luna's Revenge (Stone Mountain Shifters)

Charlie-Devastation Day 3

The morning dawns quietly. Ironically, I find Jenson in bed beside me. I look at his tired, sleeping face sadly. I’ve known this male for my entire twenty-three years. One selfish act on his part has destroyed everything we had.

I have to face it and push through to the end of this. This wasn't my doing; it was his. I rub his poor bald head and gently kiss his lips. He is so exhausted thathe doesn’t stir. "Goodbye, my love. Enjoy your heir. It has cost you me." I whisper. “If that matters.”

I rise from bed and dress. Today, my last day here, I want to leave a good impression. I start during breakfast in the kitchen, talking with my pack mates. Some of them can't look me in the eye, especially those who have established themselves as skank's courtiers. I am kind to all.

Next, I go up and chat with Lou for a few minutes. I am trying to reach out to as many as I can today before I leave. They don't know it's goodbye, but I do. I want no regrets.

I go into the main room of the pack house and visit. Then the gym. Several of the Enforcers are here—a good caliber of males. I hug Reggie. He smiles charmingly at me. I make my way back to the kitchen and sit down at the bar. Mary passes me a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast. I indulge as this will be the last meal I get from her.

As Mary and I are enjoying each other's company, Jenson comes racing down the stairs, dragging a welted skank behind him. He searches the room until he finds me. "You!" He yells, pointing at me. The fork I have poised at my mouth drops from my hand. I look at him wide-eyed. Honestly, I am shocked that he is yelling at me; he has never done that before. "You did this, didn't you?" He points at a distressed but smug Tracy, aka the skank, who is covered with red welts that I assume are from the poison ivy-laced lotions I left her, and her hair hangs in strings over her bald head. Smiling, I admire my handiwork for a moment.

“How could you do this, Charlie?” Jenson’s voice is laced with contempt. “What if you had hurt my pup? Why did you do this?”

I don't know what to say. I look around me. Everything has gone perfectly still in the pack house. Even though no one can look me in the eye, they are waiting and watching to see what will happen next.

"She found some lotion and body wash in a gift basket, claiming to be from me. You did this! Didn't you?" He continues to shout at me. “All these hi-jinks have been you. How do you think this makes her feel being targeted in such a way? Very mature, Charlie!”

I had realized too late that the lotion was too much, and I had gone too far, showing my hand.

However, I stood from the bar stool and stretched to my full height. Anger flashing in my eyes and lacing my words, "Just tell me WHAT you expect from me, Jenson, meek and humble submission when you have rubbed your PREGNANT mistress in my face?” My words ring through the room, heavy with contempt.

The skank tilts her chin up, smirking at me once again. Like a sharkcircling her prey, she can scent my blood in the water and already tastes her meal.

“Do you expect me to cheer with everyone else and go out to buy baby clothes for your little blessing?” I continue with a sneer. “The proof that you cheated on me! " I point an accusing finger at skank.

He flinches after each sentence. His anger quickly doused with each word.

“I stared in disbelief as you took her on picnics to our beloved meadow, where we experienced cherished events in our relationship.

“I’ve stood back and watched in despair at her simpering and smirking at me while you doted on her every whim, and you expect me to be what—a machine? Accepting? Normal? Subservient?

"How about how I feel as I gazed in anguish as you hand-fed her; a precious, loving act between mates. You ripped my heart out by doing it. Do you even know or care whether I’ve been able to keep food on my stomach since she showed up here, let alone eat? Because let me tell you, JENSON, the nausea has been all-consuming!”

I barely pause for breath. "I’ve been heartsick, Jenson, at your betrayal!Did you stop even once to consider how I might feel?"

I catch a glimpse of Reggie emerging from the basement workout room as I continue to vent my frustrations at Jenson.

My chest is rapidly rising and falling with every breath I struggle to take. "Or how about the gossiping about your mistress behind my back and my inability to provide you an heir." Some of the pack members drop their heads and stir uncomfortably.

“What. Did. You. Expect? I am just an inconvenience to you right now.” I break down as tears begin to stream down my face. Reggie steps up to me and encircles me in his arms. For a moment, I close my eyes, rest my head on his chest, and allow myself tobe comforted.

However, I don’t have the luxury of losing myself in Reggie’s arms, so I quickly pull away, ignoring the deafening silence of the room.

“I need to run some errands in town,” I say quietly. “I don't want to speak to you any further, Jenson. Take your skank and your heir, and leave me alone!" I grab my purse and walk out the door to my waiting car.

He doesn't follow. How can he? I have him dead to rights. He has no defense and probably doesn't care.

As I pull out from the pack house, willing myself not to look back, I see Reggie step out into my view. He lifts a hand, and that small gesture soothes my shattered heart if only atiny bit.

It’s going on 1:00 p.m., so I pull over to check my phone to see if my email account has beendeleted as scheduled and it has been.

I pull over at the truck stop off the interstate. As I check each truck's license plate, I find one with Canadian plates. I walk up to the driver. Luckily, it’s another she-wolf.

"Hey!" I begin, seeing that she recognizes that I am also a wolf. She smiles brightly. "I have a favor to ask. You have Canadian plates. Are you, by chance, headed farther north?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm headed for a visit home in Northern Canada." She looks curiously. "Can I help you with something?"

"If you could. I am leaving my husband, the Alpha of our pack." I hesitate, "This may be too much information for you, but he has moved his baby momma into the Alpha apartments of the pack house with us, and I value myself and my wolf too much to live that way." A look of rage crosses her face. "I was wondering if you could send him on a wild goose chase and take my cell phone with you as far north as you can while I head in the opposite direction."

"Sure, if it will help." She looks at my neck, sees no mate mark, and nods. She knows he can track me by the mate bond, but Jenson and I thought it would be romantic to mark each other over the heart, and as a result, our mate bond is hidden from view.

He has no idea how far I have gone yet and won't for another four hours. By the time he is aware of the demise of our marriage, I plan to have taken care of the little problem of the mate bond.

"I appreciate it. I’ve turned it off." I hand the cell over. "Just don't turn it back on, and if it happens to ring, don't answer it." I hope to have the divorce papers served before he knows to look for me. And that's not happening for another four hours."

Since we wolves are pack creatures and love touch, she leans over and hugs me tightly. "Good luck, little sister. I pray the goddess sends you happiness." She hops in her truck, my old cell in her hand.

Jenson

It’s almost 5:00 p.m., and Charlie still hasn't returned from her errands in town. I can't believe I blew up on her like that. I am just so sick and tired of Tracy, this whining female who has attached herself to me.

I haven't slept much the past few nights with everything happening, and trying to keep Tracy's hands off me is exhausting. I want nothing to do with her except for the child in her body.

I am so sorry to have hurt Charlie so much, first by my actions and then by my thoughtlessness. Our meadow is special to me—to us. I find my greatest happiness there and wanted a little peace while having this millstone around my neck. Idiot! I didn’t think about Charlie; I assume she’ll be okay when she hears the truth. I’ve not been able to talk to her yet. Tracy has me running incircles. I will remedy that tonight, no matter what. I need desperately to apologize to her.

"Alpha, there is a human woman here to see you." My beta mind links.

" A human? Bring her up."

Within a few minutes, the door opens, and a female in a business suit and heels walks in with a wrapped gift. "Jenson Black?" She asks as I nod. She quietly looks at her watch and hands me the gift.

"What the—what's this?" I ask as I look at the large rectangular box suspiciously.

She nods toward it. “Open it, please.”

I tear the wrapping from the box and open it. I stare down at the document nestled in the bottom. It’s a divorce petition from Charlie.

“Jenson Black,” she repeats. “You’ve been served.” She turns to leave my office.

"What the heck is this? I'm not signing this! I'm not losing Charlie!" I shout at the woman.

"You don't have to sign it." She states bluntly over her shoulder. You live in a no-fault territory and have no children. In thirty days. it will be final." She shrugs her shoulders and exits through the still-open door.

I am about to shout out to the woman when a cold chill runs through my body, and two things happen simultaneously. I feel the snap of the pack bond as Charlie leaves the pack's protection. And then, a raging inferno consumes me as the mate bond feels like it’s being torn from my chest.

Screaming for the third time in as many days, I tear my shirt open, buttons scattering, to look at the mate mark above my heart. It turns blood red as a literal flame licks across the scars, and then, suddenly, the pain stops. Breathing hard, barely able to catch my breath, I look up at my Beta.

"What's going on?" He whispers?

"I don't know." I choke out a sob. "I don't know." We look at the now unmarred skin above my heart, and I grow cold as I realize the mark has faded to ash. "Noooooo! Charlie! Noooooo!"

I jump to my feet and tear through the house, out the back door. I charge to our meadow. I am stopped dead in my tracks as I take in the sight. Charlie's beautiful wedding gown and veil hang on the tree, destroyed and covered in mud. Her shoes below it, with her bouquet, arealso destroyed. "Noooooo!" I howl.

I look at the tree with our heart carved into it. Nothing remains but raw wood inside the outline of the heart. That was our tree. We carved that at 13 years old.

I am devastated. I fall to my knees, clutching the train of her wedding dress in my hands, and my head falls to the ground. I hear an echo of my wolf in my head. "Now you feel a portion of what Charlie felt."

"Charlie." I gasp. "Charlie." I curl in a fetal position and sob.

Charlie

I reach my destination just minutes before 5:00 PM. Jenson should be receiving my little gift any moment now. I’m alone in the small college town of Sparksburg, in the back parking lot of a strip mall. I’m unsure what brought me here, but this is where I am at the appointed time.

I spread a soft blanket next to my vehicle and lay out the items for the ritual: my grimoire, a shiny silver knife with a leather handle, and two small bottles of potion—one for pain relief and one to promote healing.

Sitting on the blanket, I take a deep breath and take out the alcohol and gauze. Putting on surgical gloves, I pull my blouse down to expose my mate mark above my breast. After carefully sterilizing the site and the knife, I clasp my talisman momentarily, feeling the weight of what I’m about to do.

As I focus on my purpose, I remind myself that this ritual is more than a procedure; it’s a way for me to take back my power.

With trembling fingers, I take the gauze and apply a generous amount of the pain andhealing potions. I am ready to begin with the knife now poised over the scar. I hope this goes as planned.

Taking another cleansing breath, I begin, "I, Charlie Ann Black, Luna of the Little Silver Creek Pack, hereby rescind my position as Luna and as a pack member." I instantly feel the mantle of the pack bond lift from my shoulders, and calm settles in my chest as I officially become a lone wolf.

I take another deep breath and continue,"I, Charlie Ann Black, reject you, Jenson Black, Alpha of the Little Silver Creek Pack as my mate." The sharp pain that impales me as the mate bond shatters nearly doubles me over.

Panting, I start to slice around the mate mark. A pain unlike anything I’ve felt before surges across my sensitive skin, searing like a white-hot flame. I almost hesitate, but I can't stop now. I have to cut all ties so Jenson can’t find me. I have to remove the mark before I lose consciousness.

I continue cutting with my right hand while I lift the bottle containing the pain relief potion with my left. Shivering, I pour more liquid on the spot where I am working. Dizziness assails me, but I press on with the knife. Finally, the fragment of skin with my mate mark falls free and fades to ash. In desperation, I quickly pour the remaining pain potion over my burning skin. Collapsing to the ground, I also empty the healing potion onto my breast. Black spots dance before my eyes as the bottle slips from my trembling hand, and everything goes black.