Death Metal Luna

I Won't Give In

  Temperance's POV

"Wipe that sour scowl off of your face, Temperance Jade," My mother snarled at me.

I was seated in front of my mother's vanity while she and my sister put on makeup and got my hair ready for the party. I was trying my best not to show how angry I was that I had to go. Two days ago, I figured out that Gideon f*****g Kreel was my mate, and I knew he would make a spectacle of it. I mean, I didn't know for sure, but the signs were pointing that way. That meant I was to be the next luna of the pack, and that was not going to happen.

When Gideon caught the guys and me sneaking back into the territory the night of the audition, I was promptly grounded. That didn't stop the four of us from coming up with an escape plan. Tonight I would smile and pretend at my party, and then the next day, I would make my escape. Granny Witch had paid for our plane tickets to Los Angeles. She also found us a place to stay and gave us money for incidentals. I smiled as I thought about it.

"That's a much prettier face," My mother said, and I just nodded.

"Sure is," I mumbled.

My father poked his head into the room. He was dressed in a fine black suit and had his red hair styled nicely. "Are you ladies almost ready?"

"Almost done, Paul," My mother smiled at him. She was already dressed in a lovely light yellow dress and had her blonde hair braided.

Autumn put some lipstick on me. "I'm done, Mom." She declared.

"Me too." My mother had braided my hair and placed it on my shoulder.

I didn't bother to look at myself in the mirror. I stood up and turned away from the mirror.

"Aren't you even going to admire all of our hard work?" My sister asked me.

I shrugged. "I'll look, but the person I see won't be me."

Her face fell, and she looked at our mother. "She is ungrateful, Mom." She then walked out of the room.

"Did you have to hurt your sister's feelings?" My mother scolded me. "We worked hard on this party, and all you do is sulk. I have never met a person more resistant to their birthday party."

I sighed. "Can we just get this night over with, Mother?" I scowled.

"Put the shoes on," My mother replied and handed me a pair of white heels that I hated.

I put them on and caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I saw myself dressed in pink and made up like everything I disliked. My mother beckoned me out of her room. "Your father is waiting downstairs."

Carefully, I climbed down the stairs and heard my father take a deep breath as I got to the bottom step. "I know you refuse to see it, Tempe. You look so beautiful tonight." He stepped towards me and hooked a finger under my chin.

"This isn't me, Dad." I looked away from him. "Why does no one in this family understand that?"

He sighed. "Humor your mother and Luna Melissa, okay? They went to a lot of trouble for tonight. Just pretend to be happy."

"Whatever," I mumbled and folded my arms, and leaned against the back of the couch.

My father took a deep breath and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Madison, Autumn. Hurry up." He shouted.

"We are coming, Paul," My mother replied.

Minutes later, she and my sister came down the stairs, and then we all made our way out to my father's truck. Hayden had gone on ahead to the party. My father helped all of us into the truck, and we rode in silence to the packhouse.

Tarja became restless the closer we got, which made my heart race. It was true. I am Gideon f*****g Kreel's mate. I had to fight back the tears threatening to fall from my eyes. I had to hold on to my desire to leave tomorrow. The truck stopped in front of the packhouse, which was a huge mansion. The outside was decorated with tons of flowers and streamers. I was having trouble breathing at this point as my father opened the door and held out his arm to me.

"Come on, sweetie, you can do this," His encouragement fell on deaf ears as I was looking around for an escape route.

Tarja was making it hard to think with all of her whining and pacing. It was like she was trying to claw her way out of my mind. We walked in the front doors, and the scent of cedar hit me. It made me weak in the knees, and I nearly fell to the floor, but my father held me steady.

"I can't do this," I whispered and stopped. My parents wrapped their arms around my waist and forced me towards the ballroom. 'No, no, no,' I kept repeating in my mind. I tried to resist walking, but my parents wouldn't let me stop.

"You can do this, darling," My mother said to me. "You were born for this."

I shook my head. "No, please, Mom. Don't make me go in there. I will do anything. Just don't make me go in there." I pleaded with her.

"Suck it up, Temperance." My father growled.

The doors to the ballroom were right in front of us, and Tarja was howling as the scent of cedar grew stronger. Omegas opened the doors, and my parents had to practically shove me into the room. Most of our pack circled the large room as my father pushed me towards the center, and there he was, standing in his best suit. His black eyes sparkled as he held a large bouquet of flowers and something else. I tried to look away, but Tarja forced me to stare as she howled. 'MATE! MATE!' She proclaimed proudly. I froze for a second, but my father pushed me forward.

"Let her go, Gamma," Gideon ordered my father, and suddenly I was alone just staring at my mate.

'You won't hate him anymore,' Tarja said to me.

'Oh no, I still hate him,' I snarled at her. She whined sadly.

'Don't say that.' She hissed. 'He is our mate. Kiss him.'

Gideon stepped towards me and held the gifts out, and I just stood there like an i***t staring. "Happy Birthday, Mate!" I just stared at him. He turned away from me and started to say something to the pack. I took that opportunity to turn heel and run out of the room.

"Temperance!" I heard my father call to me.

I just ignored it and kept running. I saw my way out of the mansion and hurried towards the door, only to have strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me back. I screamed and kicked my feet out. "Put me down!" I screamed as the cedar scented person carried me.

He set me down, and I tried to run again, but he pushed me against the wall and looked me in the eyes. "Why are you trying to run?"

I glared at him as Tarja snarled in my head. "Because I don't want to be your mate." I hissed, and he flinched.

"It's your destiny to be my Luna. Why are you fighting destiny?" He asked with an almost sad tone.

" I hate you, Gideon," I said with enough power that he backed away from me, looking like he was in pain. I swear I saw tears forming in his eyes.

He pursed his lips. "I am your mate. You have to love me."

"I will never love you, Gideon. So let's get this over with." I told him as Tarja was trying to push for control. I had to fight her back. She knew what I was about to do, and she was fighting it.

'You can't do this to him,' She pleaded with me.

'What about me, Tarja?' I responded, and she whimpered.

"Get what over with?" He asked me and took a step towards me. My body reacted to his closeness with an increase in my heart rate. I felt the urge to comfort him while he was in pain from my words. But I had to fight it. Tarja was pushing me to get closer to him.

"I, Temperance Abbott, reject-" He tried grabbing me to place his hand over my mouth. I backed away from him. "I, Temperance Abbot, reject you, Gideon Kreel as my mate and my alpha." I managed to get out, and Gideon howled in pain as he grabbed his chest.

He fell to his knees. "Why?" He said through tears.

"I just f*****g told you. I hate you." This time it was harder to get out as my wolf howled sadly. I, too, felt the pain of rejection and wanted to comfort Gideon as he looked at me. His eyes turned from black to gold. I knew his wolf was forward as Tarja howled, trying to reach him.

He took a deep breath and stood up. I sensed I was in danger as he stepped towards me. "I, Gideon Kreel, reject your rejection. Not that I need to.  I am an alpha and you are a gamma" His voice came out in a dangerous tone. He rushed towards me and pinned me to a wall again. His face was inches from mine. "You are mine Temperance. You will always be mine. No matter how much you fight it, YOU ARE MINE!" He roared in my face. I trembled as his hand wrapped around my neck. "Take back your rejection."

I shook my head as tears streamed out of my eyes. "No." I barely spoke the word. My rejection though painful for him wouldn't have any other effect on him.  Even without him rejecting it, I was a lower rank thus he needed to reject me for it to truly work.

"Take it back," He demanded again and squeezed tighter. "You don't want to see me get angry, Temperance." He hissed. "Now, take it back." He growled and squeezed my neck until I couldn't breathe.

"No," I managed to choke out.

A growl ripped out of him, and I felt he was about to strike me when I heard heavy footsteps run towards us. "Gideon!" Alpha Clifton barked out, causing Gideon to loosen his grip on my throat. "What are you doing?"

Gideon turned to his father. "She rejected me," He sounded broken when he replied to his father. For a second, I felt terrible and wanted to take it back. But I had to stay strong.

The alpha stepped towards us. "She what?"

"She rejected me." Gideon released me as he turned to his father.

I slumped to the ground and gasped for air as my father ran over to me. He glared down at me. I had never seen him look so angry. He helped me to my feet, and I watched the alpha embrace Gideon. I tried walking away, but my father held my arm tight. "Don't move," My father growled dangerously at me.

Gideon's father released him. Two pairs of black eyes looked at me as Gideon stepped forward. He nodded at my father, who released me. "You are moving in with me tonight. Tomorrow, you will begin learning to accept me as your mate and alpha," He said in a low dangerous tone. "You will also begin learning to be the luna of this pack. If you want to fight destiny, you will be miserable, Temperance. But if you accept me, then I will make you the happiest you will ever be." He held out his hand to me. "Now, let us go enjoy your party. My mother and your mother put in a lot of work for it."

I just stared at his hand and then looked away from him. Tears fell down my cheeks as my father pushed me towards him. I clasped his hand and felt the sparks of our mate bond. I had to fight the pleasure it gave me as he pulled me back to the ballroom. Alpha Clifton and my father walked silently behind us. The doors of the ballroom opened, and we all stepped inside. The pack was quiet as Gideon pulled me to the stage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lenny and his mother ruth in servant's uniforms. They were serving food tonight. They both flashed me sympathetic smiles as I pulled onto the stage.

"Okay, Erie Lake, I apologize for our sudden departure. Temperance got a bit overwhelmed. She is fine now," He glanced at me with a fake smile. 'Act happy to be here.' He snarled in my head before turning to the pack. "Let's get back to the festivities and celebrate the eighteenth birthday of our next luna." He said, and the pack clapped and cheered.

I was relieved when Gideon pulled me off of the stage. I cringed when the orchestra began to play some stupid pop song. I made a grunt of disgust.

Gideon leaned into me. "Get used to it, babe. Because after tonight, you will no longer be listening to that noise you call music." He smiled wickedly at me. "You will also never wear those rags you call clothes. You will only dress in the finest designer clothes in a variety of colors and no black in sight."

"Kill my spirit completely, why don't you," I replied sadly. I felt defeated.

He pulled me in front of him. "I am not trying to kill your spirit Temperance. I just want you to look like a proper luna."

I sighed. "So, you don't want me. You want your image of me."

"I want a refined, elegant luna leading this pack, not some rock and roll groupie." He pulled me towards a long table where my parents and his parents were already sitting. My mother gave me a dirty look as I sat down. I'm pretty sure my father told her about my rejection of Gideon. I just stared at the tabletop as the omegas came forward with mounds of food. I wasn't the least bit hungry. Wine was poured into my glass, and I picked it up and drank it down in three gulps.

Everyone else began eating, and I just stared at the food. My mind was trying to figure out how to get away from here. Everyone around me was against me. I felt smothered.

"Eat something, babe," Gideon's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"I'm not hungry," I mumbled quietly. The next thing I knew, Gideon had a fork full of food shoved against my mouth.

"Eat!" He ordered me.

I opened my mouth and let him feed me. I narrowed my eyes at him as I chewed the duck. It tasted like ash in my mouth. He fed me a few more bites before I told him to stop. I choked down the rest of the food on my plate, not bothering to look at anyone.

Gideon clasped my hand, and I had to ignore the sparks. He leaned down. "Let's dance, babe." He pulled me to my feet and practically dragged me to the center of the room. He held me close as the music began. Some other pop song I had heard blasting from my sister's room. I looked past him at the wall. "Look at me, Temperance."

I shifted my eyes to his face but refused to look him in the eyes. Tarja was whining in my head and trying to get me to kiss him. My body was giving in to the bond, and I was fighting it with all of my strength. I would not give in.

"Your body is giving in to me," He whispered in my ear. "It will be less painful if you give yourself to me completely," He spoke, and I shuddered at the feeling of his lips on my cheek. He hooked his finger under my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "You are so beautiful, Temperance." He leaned into me and brushed his lips on mine. "Give in Temperance," He whispered, and my heart thundered against my chest.

A tear ran down my cheeks when his lips finally made contact with mine. Tarja howled with happiness while I was ready to fall apart. The kiss sent sparks of pleasure through my body as I leaned into him. He held me tight to him as he deepened the kiss, not caring that the whole pack was watching. I held onto him tightly because my knees felt weak. I could feel myself getting turned on from the kiss. That made him chuckle. "I smell your arousal, babe."

I pulled away from the kiss to take a deep breath. The song ended, and the pack clapped. We were standing alone in the middle of the floor. Gideon was staring at me and only me. I felt myself wanting to lean in for another kiss. But I was also fighting the bond, which made my stomach erupt into unease. I felt bile rising, and I struggled out of his hold. "I have to go to the bathroom," I said as I placed my hand over my mouth.

"I am not letting you go," He growled lowly.

"Well, then don't get mad when I vomit all over that suit," I replied. With a low grunt, he released me, and I ran towards the bathrooms. I managed to run into a stall just in time to empty my stomach. All of the fancy food I had been forced to eat came up, and I had to steady myself with the walls of the stall. When I finally finished, I stumbled out and rinsed my mouth. I looked at myself in the mirror. My makeup had managed to no get smudged, but my hair looked messy. The dress was a bit wrinkled and crumpled. "I can't do this," I said out loud. "I will not be, luna." I declared.

'The Moon Goddess fated you to Gideon,' Tarja interjected. 'That means she knows you are meant to be a luna.'

'I want to play my music and travel the world. I am not doing this, Tarja.'

'You aren't leaving Temperance.' My wolf argued. 'I will stop talking to you if you run.'

'Well, you are the one pushing me to be with an abusive asshole. So I will take that as a win,' I argued back to her, and she snarled.

'He isn't abusive.'

I shook my head. 'Right. You must have been asleep during the abuse. I will never be his mate Tarja. I love Jeff.'

She growled viciously at that and then retreated into my head.

I walked out of the bathroom and nearly bumped into Lenny. I hugged my friend.

He looked at me with a frown. "Since you are Gideon's mate, does that mean you aren't coming to LA with us?"

I shool my head. "I am not his mate, Len. The plan is still a go."

He smiled at that. "Are you sure?"

I grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Yes, Leonard."

A growl sounded down the hall, and Lenny pulled away from me. He bowed his head as Gideon walked towards us. "Beat it!" Gideon barked at Lenny. My friend scrambled away from us.

I glared at Gideon.

"I don't like you touching or talking to other males. You are mine!" He snarled and wrapped his arm around my waist. "That is another thing. You will not fraternize with omegas any longer." He dragged me back to the ballroom, and I was made to dance with him some more. "Don't you just love this song?" He asked as we swayed to some other pop song I hated.

"No, "I replied as I tried to tune it out.

"It's Adele," He told me.

"So?" I snorted.

He pulled away from me. His stern expression returned as he looked down at me. "I am getting tired of your attitude Temperance."

"And I am getting tired of how you treat omegas. They are people too and don't deserve to be treated like shit."

"I don't treat them like s**t. I treat them like omegas. As should you," He snarled.

I shook my head. "Whatever, Gideon."

We danced a little longer and then I opened presents and had to pretend to like everything I was given. Designer clothes and purses, lots of makeup and jewelry, none of which was my style. It was like the whole pack was trying to erase the real Temperance Abbott. The only gift I even liked was a necklace from Ted. It was gold with the pendant of a skull. He smiled at me as I put it on.

Gideon handed me the box he had tried to give me earlier. "Ted's trinket will pale in comparison to my gift," He said to me.

I opened it to reveal a gaudy gold and diamond necklace. I gave him a fake smile. "It's lovely," I said through gritted teeth like I had all night. Gideon put it on me.

"Fit for my luna." He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

The night began to wind down, and I was exhausted from spending the whole night fighting the mate bond and my angry wolf.  I felt a hand on my back.

"You look like you are about to drop, babe," Gideon said to me.

I nodded. "I am," I replied to him.

He clasped my hand. "Why don't you go home and pack a few things and meet me in front of the packhouse in about twenty minutes." He told me as my parents walked over to the table. "Take her home," He ordered them. "Have her pack a few things for tonight and then bring her back here."

My mother smiled. "Yes, alpha." She helped me to my feet, and we started to walk away. She held me tight.

I sighed once we got out of the ballroom. "Mom, I can walk myself the rest of the way."

"Okay, but you better not run again." She replied to me. "Your father and I will be right behind you."

I nodded and rushed away from her. Once outside, I spotted Lenny leaning against a wall smoking a cigarette. "I am leaving tonight, Len." I whispered to him.

He smiled. "Jeff and Gil are waiting for us just outside the territory on the highway. You know the spot."

"I will be there in ten, Len," I told him and then quickly walked away when I saw my father staring at us. I hoped he didn't hear any of what we said. I nearly ran home even in heels. Once in my room, I kicked off the wretched shoes and pulled my dress off. I quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top. I rummaged through my closet for my backpack. I had already packed it with a few things. I crammed my headphones and MP3 player into it. I left my phone under my bed. I could hear my parents coming up the stairs as I looked around my room one more time. Opening the window, I looked around to make sure the coast was clear. I then jumped out and landed on the ground. I took off, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

"TEMPERANCE!" I heard my father howl into the dark as I ran. 'Temperance come back.' He mind linked me.

I put up my block and headed towards the spot we always met at. I heard howls coming from the trees. I knew the pack would be on me in seconds. I passed over the border. I saw Jeff's car. My guys were all standing outside of it as I ran over to them. "Get in the car, guys," I said to them. "That pack is right behind us."

Gilbert and Lenny scrambled into the backseat, and Jeff embraced me. We gave each other a long kiss before he released me. "Let's go," He said, and we got into the car as the howls got closer. Jeff started the car and put it into gear as the wolves broke from the trees. The car sped off as a large black wolf ran beside us. He snapped and tried using his body to stop us, but Jeff managed to maneuver the vehicle away and pressed the accelerator. The wolves fell behind, and I heard mournful howls as we got away.

Gilbert, Lenny, and I looked out the back window as our pack disappeared. I then breathed out in relief. "I can't believe we did it," I said happily. Tarja was crying in my head, but I ignored her. I leaned over and kissed Jeff. "We did it, baby," I said to him while I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Tarja cried in my head, and I looked back in the direction of the pack.