Chosen, just to be Rejected

9

Parker

He wanted to go out there and shake that Belladonna silly, demand that she yell and scream at him, pitch a hell of a fit. Destroy furniture or toss things around the foyer for all to see, toss them at him even; over her losing her position here within his pack, as his Mate and Luna.

Because it appeared, from where he stood that Belladonna was just going to leave this pack as quietly as she arrived. Hadn’t even thought of fighting or arguing with him about it. Nope, she just issued her rejection, had him accept it and was now leaving without so much as even a goodbye.

A part of him knew that she was following their mating alliance to the very letter. It stated she had to leave quietly and willingly, but he didn’t want her to do that. He watched Shannon close the door on her retreating back, she'd strolled away from his office like any other time she’d walked out of it. Shannon sighed as he turned and looked at Parker.

“What did you get from her; what does she feel, Shannon?” Parked asked him. It was clear to him that his Gamma, her Gamma, understood her right this minute. That was why the slight shake of his head, and he kind of looked a bit dismayed right now.

“Not much, pain from the severing which is to be expected.” Shannon shrugged that off.

Even Parker had seen her pain as she voiced that rejection, and he knew it had hurt her as much as it had him. It had bloody burned like his skin was actually on fire, as that filigree she’d adorned on him with her marking of him, had removed itself from his neck.

“Then there was relief, as she got up off the floor. I’m not certain if that was because the pain was finally starting to leave her or if she was happy to be rejected.” Shannon sighed, “Confused even me on that one, maybe a bit of both, there was still pain as well and that distracts me, I’m sorry.”

It could have been both, he supposed, but he was hoping it was only relief that the pain of their bond being severed was leaving her. He didn’t really like the idea of her being relieved that they were over. Though it was very clear to him that she had come into his office without any issues about that rejection, knew it was coming and, because he hadn’t said it right away she had done so, rejected him in just a bloody minute, so who the hell knew what that relief was for.

“Then there was sadness about leaving the pack, but…”

“But?” Parker rapped out. If she was sad about them being over, even just the tiniest bit, he was going out there to bring her back into this room. He would find a way to convince her to stay, to let them try and work it out, and come back together, and he knew it. He’d send Carina home today, right this bloody minute, if Belladonna would stay here with him and wanted to be his Luna.

Shannon looked at him and shook his head. “It’s not related to you Parker, I’m sorry…she likes being here inside the pack, is sad to be leaving, that is all, thinks it’s a nice place to live. Always has done, better than her home.”

“So she hates me in other words,” he muttered. “For how we were mated to each other.”

“It’s not hate, Parker.” Shannon shook his head, “It’s indifference towards you, that is all, and yes, it stems from how the two of you were bonded to each other. That mating alliance she had no say in.” Shannon nodded.

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it either. “Right,” he muttered.

So, there was no point in going after her, she wasn’t going to willingly come back to him, no matter what he said to her, no matter if he went out there and grabbed a hold of her and told her that he wanted her to stay, she wasn’t going to, that is what Shannon was telling him in a roundabout way.

Parker took himself out to the dining room to sit himself at the table where Axel sat watching Carina, ‘She tried twice to get up and go to your office. Did not appreciate me stopping her.’

He frowned ‘Did you have to forcibly stop her?’ Parker murmured.

‘A hand on her arm each time and told her to sit. The second time I informed her you would come out here when things were settled with Bella.’

‘And?’

‘She slashed my hand off her arm and told me not to touch her. She was the Luna.’

Parker frowned at that and turned his eyes on Carina. She wasn’t the Luna, he’d not Claimed her or Marked and Mated her, she shouldn’t throw that word around, he’d also not announced Belladonna’s leaving yet, or that they’d rejected each other.

He was looking at his Goddess-Gifted Mate, not more than three feet from him and right, this minute, he didn’t feel like he wanted to Mark and Mate her, even if Belladonna had told him to do so. He was still in pain from being severed from Belladonna.

Vex had receded to the back of his mind, unhappy and in pain himself. He may have never been allowed to mate Freya, but he had Belladonna. It was something they had both enjoyed doing for the past eight years; now that was no more.

Their new Mate, Goddess-Gifted even, looked nothing like Belladonna, didn’t dress like her or speak as softly as her, her words were clipped and angry, she showed all her impatience for what he’d explained properly, and needed to happen with his current Luna. Her eyes, had looked at him with anger and annoyance more in the two days he’d known her than Belladonna had ever done in the past eight years.

These two women had nothing in common at all. Carina’s eyes moved right to his neck, “About bloody time, you got rid of her.” She grated out.

He looked at his watch; it had been all of nine minutes since he’d gone into his office, and that was too long for this girl, for him to end a mate bond of eight years. He didn’t think that it was too long, actually thought it was way too short a time, to end something he didn’t want to end at all.

But that had been Belladonna’s doing, barely a minute had passed before she'd issued that rejection. Three minutes for her to pick herself up off the floor and five minutes for him to need a distraction from his own pain, and come out here.

He could well have taken a whole day to make his mind up, or just not decided to accept it all. She couldn’t leave this pack until it was accepted, and their bond was officially over. He’d only voiced the actual words of acceptance, because she’d told him it was hurting her, and not only could he see that it was, he didn’t want to see her in that much pain.

Otherwise, he’d likely not have voiced it right back, would have sat on it for the rest of the day, maybe even all day tomorrow. To see if she would argue with him over it, he really wanted to fight with her about just one thing. Yell and scream at each other like a real couple did.

It either wasn’t in her to do that, or she just didn’t care to argue with him at all, not even over this; him choosing someone else to take her seat as his Luna.

“When are you going to announce me?” Carina interrupted his thoughts. “You should do that right away, so the pack knows who I am.” She told him.

“After Belladonna has left the pack. I’ve explained this to you, my mating alliance with Belladonna, and the rules around her and I rejecting each other.”

“I don’t care about those rules, and you’ve rejected her now. I’m your priority. Or should be.” She was glaring at him expectantly.