Chapter 10


    The following day, there is a knock on my locked door. I ignore


    ‘Astrid, I know you’re there. Please unlock the door, Ryker pleads. I don’t want to hear his voice, so I


    lock myself in the bathroom, run a bath, and stay there for as long as possible.


    I put on a pair of jeans and the most oversized hoodie I can find. It almost touches my knees. I pull the


    hood over my head. It makes me feel invisible like I’m able to hide from the world. It’s an enormous


    sense offort.


    On the twelfth knock on my door, Ryker is livid and enlists Mia’s help.


    ‘It’s Mia, Astrid,’ she says through the door. As sweet and bubbly as she is, I still want to be left alone.


    ‘I brought you some lunch. I’ll leave it at the door, she exins.


    Thest thing I want to do is eat food. I feel sick to the stomach thinking about how close I have


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    be with Ryker. He wants me, but I don’t understand why. I get that I’m his mate, but he had


    already arranged to be mates with Vanessa. Have I ever meant anything to him? Or has he been


    ying me and lying to me this whole time?


    Exiting the bathroom via two gorgeous French doors, I sit on the balcony next to arge pot nt,


    hoping no one can see me. I keep hearing the odd door-knock for the rest of the day


    and continue to ignore it. Sometimes it’s Ryker knocking. Sometimes it’s other people. It hurts me


    every time to hear the pain and the regret in his voice when he speaks. Hayley knocks on the door


    when it’s dinnertime.


    ‘I brought you some dinner, Luna. I see your lunch is still here. Look, I know you’re upset, Astrid, and I


    understand why, but Ryker is so distressed we’re struggling to keep him calm. We could use your help


    to calm him down before he destroys the entire house.


    Feeling a little guilty hearing that Ryker is tearing the ce apart, I let out a heavy sigh, walked to the


    door, and unlocked it. Hayley is holding a te of food smiles at me.


    ‘Luna. Thank you.’


    ‘Thank you, Hayley. I’m not hungry. Can you show me where he is?’ Hayley nods.


    I follow her downstairs, where Ryker is growling and throwing a chair across the living room. The room


    is aplete mess. I stand there with my arms crossed, unimpressed with the absolute mess he has


    made. Ryker sniffs the air and spins around to see me. He races over to me, relieved. I look away, not


    wanting to look at him.


    ‘Astrid! You’vee out,’ he says, kneeling before me, clutching my hands. Everyone is watching us.


    Ryker has been crying. He looks up at me with big puppy dog eyes, it’s


    endearing, and I’m struggling to stay mad at him.


    ‘Astrid, I never wanted Vanessa to be my mate or Luna. I’m twenty-two. The elders told me they would


    have to choose a mate for me because I hadn’t found my fated mate yet,’ he exins.


    ‘Why didn’t you tell me that before?’ | ask.


    I tried to, but you were upset and locked yourself in your room.’ He is looking down at the ground. I


    kneel on the floor, facing him.


    I’m sorry. Had I known, I wouldn’t have locked myself in my room. I’m feeling guilty.


    ‘It’s okay. You’re out now. That’s all that matters.’ He smiles, holding my face and patting my cheeks


    with his thumbs.


    ‘I spoke to Vanessa and told her the agreement was off. I never agreed to any of it. The elders put it all


    in ce, even though I was against it. I know she has always had a crush on me, but I felt nothing for


    her, he exins.


    ‘Vanessa will adjust to it in time,’ Hayley reassures me. I nod at Hayley


    ‘How’s your head?’ He asks, both of us standing up.


    ‘My head feels fine now, I say.


    Join us for dinner,’ Ryker says.


    I’m exhausted. I’d rather sleep for the night, I say.


    “You haven’t eaten all day, though. Eat, and then you can go to bed,’ he says. I nod, and we sit at the


    table where Alice has ced assorted tters of food from which we can serve ourselves.


    Sitting down at the table, Vanessa walks in, smiling. She sits down at the table and scoops food onto


    an empty te. My fork hasn’t even reached my mouth yet. I freeze with her presence, and everyone


    feels awkward.


    ‘What is she doing here, eating dinner with us?’ I ask Ryker.


    ‘Don’t you know? I live in this packhouse too, Vanessa says, with a sour look. My fork drops from my


    hand at her words and clutters noisily down onto my te.


    ‘You have got to be kidding me,’ I say.


    ‘When the elders arranged for her to be Luna, they expected her to live here, Ryker exins.


    I’m here with Ryker now, Vanessa. You don’t need to be here anymore,’ I say, smiling at her.


    Mia smiles at my confidence, and Vanessa res at her.


    I heard along the grapevine that you might not even want to be the Luna or ept Alpha Ryker


    as your mate, she says. Ryker growls and res at her. If looks could kill, his would.


    ‘That’s none of your business.’ I snap at her.


    ‘Well, it is my business because if you don’t ept Alpha Ryker within a certain time frame, the elders


    will still make Alpha Ryker mark me as his mate and initiate me as the Luna of Shadow Crest,’ she


    says happily.


    I growl at her words. Did I growl like a wolf again? Everyone turns to stare at me, surprised at my


    reaction.


    ‘Would they make you do that?’ I ask him. Ryker thinks for a moment.


    ‘There is a possibility, but I’m sure it won’te to that because you’re here now. I don’t see why we


    would have to rush anything,’ Ryker says. Vanessa giggles.


    ‘I guess we’ll see what the elders prefer: your true mate who is weak and hasn’t met her wolf yet and


    knows nothing about our world, or me: someone experienced and strong and willing to bear your pups


    straight away, she smirks.


    Ryker and I growl in unison at her words. I exhale sharply.


    ‘You’re nothing but a scruffy little dog from the woods!’ | snap. Mia, Hayley, and Kane burst out


    “How dare you! I came from one of the strongest packs in the world. Shady Crest! We are-‘I cut her off.


    ‘Shady, I say. The entire table is roaring withughter.


    ‘At least I know what pack Ie from,’ she snaps.


    Everyone goes silent, bracing themselves for my reaction.


    ‘For all we know, you could be from one of the weakest packs: the Rabid Rebels or the Astral pack. I


    can assure you when we meet your wolf, we’ll know, and if you’re from a weaker pack,


    the elders will intervene. You won’t be allowed to rule as Luna. I’ll be chosen in your ce instead!


    “And what if I’m not? What if I’m from one of the strongest packs?’ I snap.


    ‘Well, the strongest pack used to be the Moonstone pack. They have pure white wolves, but they had


    been wiped out around eighteen years ago, so keep dreaming! Shady Crest is the strongest now, and


    our wolves are brown, and I have never seen you there. Shadow Crestes next. Alphas are ck,


    and pack members are grey, Vanessa exins, smirking at me, feeling victorious.


    ‘So, we already know you aren’t from a powerful pack. So, until you’re the official Luna, I’m still in the


    running, she concludes.


    ‘Actually, Vanessa. I think it would be best if you moved out of the packhouse tomorrow. Seth will


    organise one of the nearby cabins for you to remain close to your mother.’


    ‘You can’t be serious?’ Vanessa yells.


    ‘Yes, I’m very serious. You will move out tomorrow.’


    ‘You can’t kick me out, Ryker. You can’t make me move out!’


    ‘If you are not out by lunchtime tomorrow, I will drag you out of this packhouse myself, Ryker growls.


    Standing up from the table, I walk away.


    ‘Astrid, where are you going? You haven’t even touched your dinner, Ryker growls.


    I lost my appetite. I will not stay here and listen to this scruffy little mutt anymore!’ I storm off to my


    room and shut the door, locking it again.


    If she thinks she can speak to me like that and treat me like that, she has another thinging!