The party was in full swing when I followed my Mum and Dad in, an awkward silence came as I walked in, the same silence that had followed me when I walked in to the lounge earlier today, is that what would await me now?, Alpha Grayson came to us “Ah so glad you’re here, Logan’s party wouldn’t be the same without his best friend now would it, to celebrate him finding his mate too” he made a point of saying that loud enough for everyone to hear I noted., nothing like making it obvious is there? Surely he knows the pack will see what he is doing…, LILAH I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID AND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT LOGAN HAS MET HIS MATE, DESPITE THAT NOT BEING YOU, THE PACK NEED TO HEAR IT PLEASE my Uncle and Alpha mind linked me sternly, what a d**k, he truly had no heart…, I could see my parents and my Auntie and Uncle watching me, clearly waiting for me to reply, knowing that this was the moment they needed me to act like I was telling the pack all was fine, that I accepted that things didn’t go as we expected., In truth I wanted to tell him to f**k off, but I doubt that would go down too well…, LILAH he linked again, sounding more insistent this time., “Obviously we wouldn’t miss the party Uncle,” I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, almost watching me with baited breath to see what my reaction would be. Though what they thought I could do I’m not sure, this was a situation out of my control.., So I continue “and of course we have to celebrate Logan meeting his wolf, having his birthday and of course meeting his mate, our future Luna” the tension seems to ease and the silence that had fallen over the party seems to lessen., as my Uncle suddenly says “ Of course, I knew you’d be fine with things taking a different path than we expected, you’re a sensible girl”, a sensible girl? This man is unreal! Any love and respect I had for my uncle was disappearing and fast!, “Lets find Logan and Anya, they’ll be so happy to see you here!” he said with such fake enthusiasm it was ridiculous., If I wouldn’t have ended up in the dungeons I would have punched him on the end of his nose right there and then! I swear he was pissing me off…. How can he expect me to now happily spend time with Anya and Logan?!, It was one thing expecting me to come to the party, I thought that would be enough, but no it would appear he is going to expect me to act all pally pally with the new wonderful couple too…….tonight was going to be hell on earth, I felt my Mum squeeze my hand I’M SORRY SWEETHEART, YOUR UNCLE IS BEING A BIT OF A KNOB my Mum linked me., haha, don’t think I’d heard my Mum say that before, but she was sooo not wrong!, I THINK HE WAS JUST NERVOUS ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT BE TONIGHT WHEN YOU GOT HERE, HE KNEW YOU WOULD BE FINDING THIS DIFFICULT, THOUGH EVEN SO IT DOESN’T EXCUSE HIS KNOBBISHNESS…. IS THAT EVEN A WORD?!, I was trying not smile at my Mum as she linked me, obviously trying to comfort me, knowing I’d be struggling, completely oblivious to the fact that in her annoyance with my Uncle she was actually amusing me too….., I KNOW MUM, AND I DON’T THINK IT IS A WORD.. I link back, as I smile slightly at her, she looks to me, trying not laugh IT SHOULD BE THOUGH I add, she is really struggling not to laugh and now so am I., WELL TO AVOID ALPHA KNOB AND HIS KNOBISHNESS, SHALL WE GO AND GET A DRINK? My Mum links with a wink. I grin and nod at her., “Excuse me Alpha. I think Lilah and I have somewhere we need to be ” my Mum says to Alpha Grayson, taking my hand and pulling me away. We both look to each other and start laughing., Ok, it won’t mean I avoid seeing them tonight, but it may mean I can avoid it for a little while longer, thanks to my Mum…., “I’m so sorry sweetheart, I didn’t want you to come here tonight, I really did try, your Dad did too, but Alpha said you had to” my Mum tried to explain once we stopped laughing as we wandered toward the tables where the drinks were set up., “I know Mama, I do. It’s a situation there is no way of winning” I sighed., I felt my Mum put her arm round my shoulder “it will get easier though. The link you had together can just be friendship, it didn’t have to be love darling, you had that connection long before you dated. I just hope Anya is kind and lets you stay friends and isn’t threatened by your years of friendship as the jealousy a mate bond brings can be powerful…”, “I don’t know Mama, I don’t know if I want to be near him right now, seeing him with someone else like that so quickly will be hard…” I try to explain as we approach the tables set up for people to help themselves to drinks., There are two large tables with a collection of bottles and cans of every drink imaginable, jugs and pitchers of juices and cocktails too., Auntie Talia had definitely been busy making sure there was everything needed to make sure that the party was a good one. I grabbed myself a can of diet cola, while my mum picked up two bottles of beer, “I best get your Dad a drink too…” she explained “your Uncle is currently wittering away at him so he is likely to need a few of these tonight” I chuckled lightly at her., “Go take him his beer Mama, I’m going to go look for Indie” I explain, knowing she will want to go and check her mate is ok, and also likely wanting to smooth the situation over with her Alpha as she had been quite rude in the way she had walked me and her away “and thanks for saving me from Uncle and Logan”, She smiled gently at me, before kissing me lightly on the top of my head ” not a problem sweetheart. Maybe we should look to find a way to add the word to a dictionary…” she winked as she began to walk away, watching me as she did., I stood, puzzled at what she’d said, what was she on about? Dictionary? Word?, KNOBBISHNESS.., Oh!! I looked up at her, she was still looking at me, I laughed, she grinned and walked away toward my Dad, she’s funny, and know she’s trying to cheer me, though its going to take a lot more than few jokes….., I scan the party to see if I can see Indie…. I instantly notice her flame red hair, it’s a bit difficult to miss, over by the BBQ ., I began making my way across to her. The big field had been decorated with bunting between the trees, and some twinkling lights hanging between the wooden posts standing at various positions within the field, which no doubt would look lovely later on as the sky dimmed darker than the hazy shade of early evening blue it was currently., There were tables set up at different areas around the field with drinks on them, much like the one my mum and I had been stood at just moments before, plus there were numerous tables lined up to make almost a buffet style arrangement, filled with a mass selection of food., I couldn’t see from here, but no doubt going off past parties and knowing my Auntie there would be plenty of sandwiches, snacks, cakes, pastries, enough to feed an army and more – enough to make sure her son had a wonderful party. Plus there was a couple of grills going for food and meat to be barbequed on for guests too, so nobody would be going hungry tonight!, Though to be honest the thought of food didn’t appeal to me, I felt sick to my stomach, the events of today had taken every ounce of my appetite away…., There were speakers set up around the edge of the field with music playing so the pack could enjoy some songs while they enjoyed the party, younger guests already dancing away., Chairs were set up with others sat down chatting. Some of the guys I knew from school were playing a game of football too. That could end badly if that went near the food or drink… I thought to myself as I walked round the edge of the field., do my best to avoid as many people as I could, the sympathetic smiles I was getting were enough to repel me quite frankly, why the hell would I want to speak to them?!, “Lilah?” a voice from behind me said as I felt a hand grab my hand and pull me to the edge of the field, Logan of course…., “Logan? You shouldn’t be with me, you should be with Anya” I state quite bluntly, he looks taken back, and almost hurt, so I feel bad, this isn’t his fault, I know it isn’t…., “Baby, don’t…” he goes to touch my cheek, I quickly step back “I’ve been looking for you, I wanted to speak to you”., As he speaks I notice Anya standing across the field slightly from us, looking beautiful in a short turquoise dress, her dark hair in big curls down her back. Her dark eyes, glaring in our direction, I knew she had seen what was happening…., “Don’t call me that Logan. Your mate doesn’t want me on my own with you” I say, as I know this was likely to stop him pestering me., A look of confusion crossed his face, “why would she say that?” and as he spoke Anya had walked up to us, Logan quickly dropping my hand and stepping away from me as soon as he saw her approach., So he does know he is in the wrong touching me when she is his fated mate yet he still finds a way to do it?, The dark glare that had previously been on her face now replaced by sunshine, and a beautiful smile, aimed directly at Logan as she wrapped her arms around his waist “Hey Logan, wondered where you’d got to”, “Hey Ani, just wanted to say hi to Lilah and see if she is ok” he explained away the reason he’d been with me., “Aww I’m sure she’s fine Logan, you heard her when your Dad spoke to her when she arrived” Anya looked to him with that sickly sweet smile, fluttering her eyelashes at him., how was he not seeing through this fakeness? Does the mate bond really make you that blind?!, “Hmmm” he said “Did you tell her you didn’t want us seeing each other? She’s my friend Ani, one of my oldest friends at that”, I saw a darkness cross her face as she looked at me, fury clearly taking over her soul at the fact I had told him what she had said to me., “Oh don’t be silly! Think if anything she maybe misunderstood baby… I said I might find it difficult her spending time with you now” she fluttered her eyelashes at him, kissing his cheek lightly “having my mate around such a pretty she wolf who I know he is so close to who I know still loves him, I know you wouldn’t do anything, not with our mate bond”., She emphasised the words mate bond while looking at me dead in the eye before continuing “but the mate bond makes you feel crazy things and I got to get used to that…. You know how silly I can be baby”, Wait? Had she passed this off as being an exaggerated mix up?! She had said she didn’t want him near me!! Not that she’d find it difficult!, “Oh see, I didn’t think that sounded right Lilah” he looked to me with a smile “its going to be weird for us all, but we can get through it right. Its what the Moon Goddess fated….”, What a d**k, he believed her…., “Definitely baby” Anya literally purred at him, pretty much nibbling at his ear., “f**k this” I said and walked away., “Oh I think she’s finding it hard seeing how close we are baby, how much we want each other” I hear Anya say as I walk away., I fume to myself if I stay near you I want to rip your eyes out! How dare you lie so blatantly!!, I fumed. Marching myself away to find Indie, currently surrounded by a group of guys from high school laughing with them as she served up the food from the grills., She was shy deep down, but was good at putting on a act of being bubbly and friendly, and people seemed drawn to her. Yet she liked her own space too, and time on her own. And while she had plenty of attention from the guys in pack she had yet to find her mate, despite shifting last year., And she avoided relationships, wanting to wait for her mate. I couldn’t wait to tell her what had happened just now with Anya and Logan…., “What a cow bag!!” Indie exclaimed after I had explained the situation that had happened with Anya and Logan., I smiled in response “she is unreal and he is total fool for falling for her fake little sweet princess act” Indie continued as we walked away from the grill area, her shift helping out had ended there for the time being., Though she had made sure she walked away with a plateful of food for herself, and me she had said, though the fact I didn’t feel like eating meant she was likely going to be the only one eating it., We headed to the quieter area near the pack house where there was a picnic bench that was empty that we could sit and talk., “Going to have to get used to it though aren’t I?” I shrug, trying to dismiss the pain I was currently feeling inside, I felt like going home and crying til nothing was left to come out., My heart was hurting so bad, I felt sick through the pain of hurting, though the thought of him being with somebody that wasn’t me, thinking he would be marking her……..this pain was too much… I need to think of a way to finish this…I think to myself., “I’m sorry Lilah, this must be hell” Indie squeezes my hand as she puts the food on the table and we sit down., Suddenly a group of three young she-wolves approach, all the same age as me, ones I suddenly recognise as Anya’s close friends – Alyssa, Annie and Billie., What do the three stooges want? Indie links., I simply shrug, unsure myself, as I rarely talk to them, finding them to be a little fake and self absorbed., “Ooooh hey Lilah” Alyssa suddenly speaks up, flicking her long red hair, “so sorry to hear about what happened” she smiled with such fakeness it must have hurt., Her two friends joining in with the fake smiles “Oh yeah, you must be so devastated” Billie smiled fluttering her eyelashes at me “though I do think Anya and Logan make such a cute couple right?”, What a b***h! I’m gonna kill them!! Indie linked, clearly knowing what they were up to…, Leave it hun, they’re wanting a reaction, you know what they’re like I link back., “Uh-huh” I say “Do you mind? We were having a private conversation?”, I notice the three of them look taken back that I had dared to speak to them the way I had and I have to say a little disappointed too, probably that they didn’t get the reaction they hoped for., Glancing at one another Alyssa spoke up “Bit rude, but considering the circumstances I guess we’ll let it go, we will go find our bestie…. You know the future Luna” she grinned as they walked away bitches…., “Unreal!” Indie said glaring at them as they walked away from us., “They will be loving this and probably going to make my life even more hell that I thought it could be” I dropped my head to my hands. Not only had I lost the guy I loved more than anything, one of my closest friends, but now it seemed I had a target on my back for Anya and her b***h friends……, Indie and I sat talking for a good hour or so, doing our best to avoid the obvious topic of conversation, discussing what artwork she planned next, she was an amazing artist and some of her paintings were worthy of selling, I was trying my hardest to convince her to think about it., Since she now had her own place, having moved to a small cottage soon after shifting she had plenty of space for all the artwork she could manage, and I was sure she could make a living selling it either online or even setting up a small store out in the local town., I enjoyed painting too, though I was nowhere as good as Indie and we would often spend many hours sitting up in the garden of her cottage painting the countryside, or wildlife or just enjoying the fresh air whilst painting., We briefly spoke about what hair colours she may try next, blue being a possibility, or maybe purple, but she actually admitted to liking the red quite a lot which surprised me as she rarely settled on a colour long. I saw Indie sigh…., “What’s up hun?” I asked her, thinking something was wrong., “I got to go do a shift at the grill again hun…” she pouted “sorry, its being run by the boss from the store he asked me to help and I thought you’d be with Logan…..”, Indie worked at the local store on camp, and I could understand why she had thought I would be with Logan when she had agreed to helping out on the grill so I couldn’t be upset with her., “Hey its fine, I can chill here, its nice and quiet” I said, and I was right, the table was tucked behind some of the trees to the side of the field near the packhouse so quite secluded and meant I was out of sight and hopefully out of mind., While I would rather go home I knew if my whereabouts was questioned and they linked me I could tell them where I was and they’d see I had stayed at the party and I had done the “right thing” and done what my jackass of an Uncle had wanted., “Ok baby doll, I’ll be quick as I can and will see if boss will let me off early” Indie stood up giving me a k**s on the cheek as I watched her walk away. Her red hair shimmering in the twinkling of the fairy lights hanging up around the field as she walked., I rested my chin on my hand with my elbow on the table not sure what to do next when I realised I wasn’t alone………. Logan was stood alongside me just what I need….., “Hey boo” he smiled gently as he sat next to me at the table, I instantly went to stand up, but he pulled me back down, “please lets talk, surely after everything, we should at least do that Del….” He said, his tone almost begging., My uncertainty must have been clear on my face as I really was contemplating getting up and running off before he spoke again “I know you’re hurting, I am so so sorry for that, I would never want you hurting, we have been friends forever Del, please can we at least talk?”, we had been friends forever and maybe talking might help….. I nodded., He smiled. “Thank you boo. Like I said, the last thing I wanted was for you to be hurt, I asked your Mum and Dad to stop you coming to the house….. I got distracted………. I know there are things expected of me Del as Alpha and an Alpha with a mate but I can’t switch my feelings for you off you know?” he looked to me., I wasn’t sure what he expected me to say but he didn’t stop, it looked like when he said he wanted us to talk he meant he wanted to talk, get everything off his chest, so I sat in silence, the pain in my chest, in my heart becoming worse the more he spoke., “I get that I have a mate, I do, and I feel all the connections there, I want her like I am meant to, but I just don’t know if that’s enough Lilah, I mean it’s not you? Do you understand?”, I wasn’t sure what to say, I just looked to him, was he saying he wasn’t sure if his mate bond was enough?! It was meant to be everything! That’s what we were told, I don’t understand this., I simply shrug, unsure if he expects a response from me “I loved you for so long Lilah and I don’t think that will ever change, seeing you in front of me feels like nothing has changed, I still want to touch you, and k**s you like we always have since we started dating……I don’t think I can let you go” he reaches for me and goes to put his lips to mine again for the second time that day., I could not let this happen again! Yes I love him, I truly do, but this pain was unbearable, I wasn’t playing second best to a mate, he was expected to be with her by the Alpha, the whole pack… the Moon Goddess…., I shoved him away and simply stood and walked away, quickening my steps as I did., I walked faster as I went, “Lilah wait!” I heard Logan yell from behind me, but I simply kept going, heading toward the packhouse, thinking there are toilets in there I can go to and use to hide and to cry, because right now that’s what I needed to do., How could he mess with me like this? Was he wanting me to continue our relationship? That’s what it seemed…. Yet he had his mate there, one who obviously wanted him….., I pushed the door of the toilets open, looking at myself in the mirrors, my face was a deceiving mask of calm, though inside I could feel the tears threatening to come., I walked toward one of the cubicles planning to grab some toilet tissue in case the tears slowly building behind my eyes began to flow, when suddenly my right arm was grabbed from behind and twisted up behind my back awkwardly, “OWWW” I hissed., The pain in my arm and shoulder joint was unbearable, I went to start to fight back when I realised who had hold of me…., Anya…., “Hey boo” she said with a scowl “did you not understand me when I said to stay away from Logan?” she hissed at me, with vengeance clear in her tone., She had my arm twisted up against my back pushing me along so my face was now pressed up against the wall next to the door to the bathroom., What the hell?! Where has this come from?!, “I have stayed away. He comes to me” I tried to explain., “I don’t think so. He wouldn’t do that to me. He wants me” she hissed, twisting my arm even harder, the pain was so bad my vision was blurring and pain was burning in my arm., I moved slightly “oh you want to fight back? That a good idea?” she snarled “I am sure everyone would believe the sweet new Luna-to-be when she explains that the jealous ex started on me right?” she grinned as she twisted and pushed my arm at the same time., At that moment there was blinding pain, I heard something crack within my arm…. a sickening crack….the pain within my arm making my legs give way and making me almost pass out. I think she’s broke my arm… I really think she has I think to myself., How can she be that sick she would hurt me? I wouldn’t do anything to Logan! I know he is hers now no matter how much I am hurting inside….., “Oh did you hurt yourself?” she smiled sweetly at me stepping back letting me fall at her feet ” I am telling you Lilah you will stay away from my mate, I saw you k**s just then, and look what happened….Nobody is to find out about this either, do you understand? I will ruin your reputation you and your family’s reputation in pack, you understanding? Don’t think I wouldn’t. You don’t know what I am capable of. Bet you didn’t think I was capable of this yet here we are…..” She stalked out of the room leaving me in a heap on the floor., The pain I was in was unbearable…indescribable, I don’t think I’d felt pain like this even in all the training sessions we were made to undertake in pack., As werewolves we were expected to be able to be fight both in human form and wolf form to defend our pack and this training started in high school, I had had my fair share of injuries and was a well-balanced even decent level fighter but still had not felt pain like this before., The thing is, I know I am capable of fighting Anya, but considering her threats, I don’t think it is a good idea. I don’t want to risk finding out what else she is capable of. Plus, I don’t want to know what she could do to try to ruin my family’s reputation. Not to mention she is the future Luna….., Not only did I have the pain now emotionally and mentally, I now had a massive amount of physical pain to cope with and somehow would have to hide it from my loved ones……….I need to get home……., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.