Revenge, served in a black dress

CH 2

She set herself up a study room in one of the spare bedrooms inside the Alpha suite. Her online studies were about to start up again; the new semester was here. She would bury herself in her studies during the day, to keep from trying to go down there and be a part of Jace's world anymore.

There was she knew, no point in it anymore, but she wouldn’t just leave, no. Gloria had to suffer for her part in all of this and staying there inside this suite, being Jace’s Mate even though he didn’t deserve it, meant that she-wolf down there wanting what was gifted to Nora, from Selena herself, deserved to have the pain of knowing how it felt to be heartbroken and jealous of the woman in the Alpha’s bed. Just like Nora was now heartbroken over Gloria being the Alpha’s Luna.

She would stay and say nothing to anyone, not even her parents or former Alpha, because she didn’t want to tell them how very wrong she had been. How stupid and naïve she was to think that she, a simple warrior’s daughter, could keep an Alpha for a mate. So, she would bear with it, and although she wanted to get away from him, a part of her wanted to believe that it would change in time, and he’d succumb to the mate bond, and love her like his wolf Hydro loved her wolf, Rosa.

She knew that a big part of her didn’t want to give him up. Rosa didn’t want to give up her wolfen mate either. They had been gifted to them by the Moon Goddess herself. There had to be a reason for that. She had to trust in the Moon Goddess for now. She had surely paired them up for a good reason.

So, she persevered, smiled at him and tried to show him that she loved him, wanted to be his Mate and Luna, but to no avail, because just three weeks after that horrid day of hearing him voice he didn't love her, it was just a mate bond and nothing more, was when she’d felt it; the first time, when he touched another with affection, touched Gloria and she knew it.

Her face had suddenly burned like fire all down the left side and pain had ripped from her temple to her chin, as he’d lovingly touched or caressed Gloria’s face. He’d not had s*x with Gloria, and she wondered if he thought that one caress had gotten past their mate bond, because she didn’t run down there and accuse him of betraying her. No, she just sat in her study room and let the tears spill down her face as she came to the full realization that it was never going to work between them. He would never ever love her. She was his Mate but not his Luna.

He could still come into this suite and lay hands on her as though he’d not caused her pain and her stupid body betrayed her to their mate bond. Her wolf called to his to try and strengthen their own bond to have Jace feel it and connect to Nora but no, it was his wolf that mated hers and then nothing. Jace hadn’t touched Nora at all.

Then there was pain to her arm a few days later and on it went. He didn’t think she knew, and so he was off doing what he wanted, touching Gloria with the intent of being affectionate, or loving, and she felt it all. Though he didn’t kiss her or have s*x with her, but Nora and Rosa felt every time Jace touched Gloria briefly or long, it cut into them and stabbed at them every single time, and he pleaded ignorance to knowing she had to have felt it. Everyone knew touching another meant your Mate felt it as pain.

Then she saw it happen right before her very eyes. Jace was standing in the doorway to his office. He was smiling at Gloria. As his hand reached out and brushed a few loose strands of her hair back behind her ear, and she’d felt it, the searing pain of his betrayal of their Mate Bond. It was a loving act towards the woman he loved and right before her very eyes.

Nora had been coming down the stairs and had stopped and looked at him, her Mate. Who was looking lovingly at the woman before him. That wasn’t her, his Mate, but it was his Luna. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him look at her like that bar that first time he’d scented her out. Even now, she knew that had been a lie, just to get her to agree to be his mate and come here.

He was down there for all inside this pack to see, openly touching another she-wolf, uncaring of how it affected her, or who saw it and would talk about it. She’d gritted her teeth against the pain, even as tears brimmed, as others in the packhouse foyer saw it like she did. Jace did not care who knew, she’d not had to suffer the full pain of him mating Gloria yet, but from what she was seeing, it was only a matter of time.

Rosa was gone, to the darkness of her mind as she too saw it and felt the pain, realizing Jace was never going to care about them, and there was no calling her back. She wouldn’t come and when that pack run came two weeks later. Nora had not shown up for it. He’d mind-linked to her about where she was, it was the pack run, and she’d stated, “I’ve sprained my ankle just a little while ago. Have Gloria run it with you, like she used to.”

Only to have him state “Alright.” And disconnect the link.

He’d not even asked what had happened, or if she was alright? He didn’t seem to care, she’d sat there in their suite and more tears had fallen, at his lack of concern. Even though she knew why he didn’t care, it didn’t stop her from feeling pain every time she felt it or heard it, thought about it.

Nora knew that he was happy to have Gloria run it with him, because that was who he really wanted next to him. She was she realized just there for Mate Bond s*x with him, and to produce him an heir and nothing more. No more did she hope to try and keep him, no more did Rosa try to grow a stronger bond with his wolf; her own wolfen Mate.

Finally, she’d accepted it, as had her wolf. They were nothing to Jace and never would be. They were just his Mate but never to be his Luna. She’d left their room that night, stayed in her little study zone and fell asleep there. She didn’t see a point to being in his bed, her body was the only thing of use to him.

So, she focused herself on her studies and committed herself to them fully. Spending her days that semester in the corner of a pack library, or her study room and avoided him all the time. Not that he noticed or even cared that she was suddenly gone from him all the time, that she never mind-linked to him for anything, didn’t even eat meals with him. He never came looking for her during the day, only after he was ready to retire for the night.

Though falling asleep before he came to bed was something she learned she needed to avoid, because he could, it seem, wake her from sleep with his touches and kisses, and have her stupid body betray her to him. His words about how much he wanted her, something though she knew was a lie, seemed to still crave to hear from him. She couldn't, it seemed, say no to the man when in her half-addled sleeping state.

She took calls from her parents about how things were going and told them everything was fine, even when it was anything but. This was her life and her Mate Bond to deal with. She didn’t want them to worry. She would find a way to leave on her terms, and she was not going to give him an heir.

She would stay and make Gloria suffer the knowledge that Jace was retiring to his suite every night and mating his Mate instead of his Luna. She knew that she-wolf had to hate knowing it, be completely jealous of it, that she was just biding her time until Nora was pregnant and birthed an heir to the pack before getting Jace for herself.

They were both cruel wolves that deserved to suffer, and she would make them for as long as she could possibly stand it herself. She’d brace herself against those moments when he touched Gloria and, if he had the audacity to have s*x with her, she would stumble out into the pack or common area, and allow everyone inside this pack to see what he was putting her through.

Nora knew that she was just waiting for that very thing to happen, and even had a plan for when it did. It would be her way of extracting revenge upon him, and have his own pack see him as an Alpha not worth his title. So, she could deal with it until then, he wouldn’t browbeat her or make her a doormat to wipe his feet on. She would get her revenge.