The Wild Moon by Riley Storm

Chapter Seven

Our jaws went for Johnathan’s neck as we launched our self at him.

My wolf and I were united in our anger, and we slammed into Johnathan, taking him to the ground even as the change came over us again. Our fangs grazed his neck, but before they could penetrate flesh, a fist made of steel slammed into our ribs, flinging us off him.

We yelped in pain, scrambling to our feet, even as Johnathan shredded his clothing and shifted.

Idiot, we thought, charging at him. This wasn’t about playing fair or respecting any honor of the fight. This piece of trash had tried to command us to obey him. He didn’t deserve our respect.

So, we slammed into him mid-change, taking him out at the knees. The half-human half-wolf form went to the ground. We found his neck and sunk in our teeth. He froze.

Holy shit.

Somehow, we had beaten him.

Part of us wanted to rip his neck out. To tear great chunks of flesh and watch him bleed to death, ridding us of the Soulbond forever. Setting us free. Permanently. We almost did. Our teeth tightened imperceptibly around his neck.

But that didn’t seem like enough punishment for him. He would never atone for all the pain he had caused us. So, instead, we backed away, shifting back to human form.

I smiled at him as I got to my feet, tugging the sports bra back into place. Somehow it hadn’t shredded during the transformation, and in my rage, I hadn’t even noticed it. I was still nude from the waist down and would have to get more clothes from upstairs, but it didn’t matter. Nothing did.

A laugh bubbled up through my lips as I continued to stare smugly at Johnathan. He knew what had just happened, and he knew as well as I did that word of it would never stay between us. The pack would find out, and he would be humiliated. Beaten by a nobody. Some Alpha he was.

“You’re going to regret that,” he snapped.

“No, I’m not,” I said. “You know why? Because you will never see me again. We will never be together. So, it doesn’t matter. I reject you, Johnathan Aldridge. I deny you. Whatever the fuck I have to say. Let it get through your thick skull that I will never be your mate. That this,” I pointed back and forth between us, “will never happen. Ever.”

His eyes burned with anger. “You can’t reject a Soulbond,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“Watch me,” I snarled, feeling stronger than I ever had.

“It will grow stronger,” he said, standing now, the tattered remains of his clothes hanging from his muscular frame.

“Then I’ll grow stronger, too.”

“You’ll come for me eventually.”

I laughed. “You arrogant prick. I’ve never come for you before, and I certainly won’t in the future no matter what meaning you want to interpret. It’s all fake. That would be the only way. I’d fake it like I faked any pleasure we had while dating.”

He shook with fury, but I just didn’t care. I’d beaten him once, and I could do it again.

“You will suffer,” he warned me.

I rolled my eyes. “I suffered while I was with you. I’d rather suffer this way on my own than waste perfectly good batteries trying to satisfy myself for the rest of my life just for your ego. I’m done with you. Now get out.”

“This isn’t over!” he snarled as if I was supposed to be scared.

I laughed again in his face, uncaring. “You just got beaten by a nobody, John. Some Alpha heir you are. Once word of this gets around…” I shook my head. “Just go. Get out of my face.”

He started to go. Walking away, beaten. Finally, I was paying him back for the comment he’d made that day outside of the post office. The comment that had ruined my life.

“How did you know?” I asked sharply as he reached the door.

He turned at the waist to look back at me, muscles stretching tightly over his stomach. “Know what?” he asked, frowning.

“That I was adopted,” I managed to spit out without losing control. I fought hard to keep myself calm and cool. Maybe I could use this time to find out what was going on. To find out the truth from him. My need to know was all-consuming as I waited for an answer.

To my surprise, Johnathan’s face softened. I had expected mockery. Cruel laughter, perhaps. Outright denial. Instead, he smiled at me sadly. Like he cared about me.

Was this the Soulbond already changing our perceptions of one another? Encouraging us to accept it? Or was this something else?

“Come with me,” he said quietly. “Accept the bond, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

I stared, speechless. Utterly and totally speechless at this sudden transformation. So unexpected was it that I found myself leaning toward him to do just that. I wanted to know who I was and where I’d come from so badly that I almost gave in right then and there.

“Think of all the positives of being mated to the future Alpha,” he continued. “How that will help you.”

And just like that, I was back.

“I don’t need your help,” I said harshly, hate filling me once more. “I don’t want it either. Either tell me what you know or get out of my life!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head at me. “I can’t.”

He went out the door, and I walked over to it and slammed it on his retreating back before he had a chance to look back.

“Bastard,” I said, throwing my hatred at him.

Through the door, I felt an answering pulse of frustration. John was just as irritated at my unwillingness to accept as I was at the fact that I was bonded to him in the first place.

“Fuck the Soulbond,” I snarled. “There has to be some way to deny this thing. To sever it. I can’t actually be stuck with him for the rest of my life, can I? Life isn’t that unfair.”

Of course, for that to be the case, there would have to be other examples in our history of shifters being paired up with people they disliked. My father had been a huge history buff. In fact, he’d been the Alpha’s right-hand man, searching out hints of our ancient past. He’d educated me about all sorts of lore, from the old gods to the lost shifter city of Shuldar.

But he’d never once mentioned any tales about rejected Soulbonds.

I contemplated all the stories he’d told me over the years as I grabbed fresh clothes, but I couldn’t come up with anything. Nothing helpful. Even if it were only a legend from a time when our species was united as one pack under the gods, I would have taken that and ran with it.

“Sheer stubborn willpower it is,” I decided, heading down the stairs again.

“Sheer stubborn willpower what is?” a new, decidedly more feminine voice asked from the bottom of the stairs.

“God dammit!” I yelped, slamming myself back against the wall in surprise. “Will you people quit doing that!”

Jo stared up at me, tears in the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dan. I didn’t mean to.”

I gaped at my best friend. I’d never seen her look so distraught before. She looked horrible. She was wearing the same clothes from the night before, only now they were filthy and torn in a few places. Her hands were covered in dirt, and she had giant bags under her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying.

“Jo!” I cried, rushing down the stairs. “Jo, what happened?”