Rejected Mate and Following Fate novel Chapter 97

Colton comes at me, lifting his claws in the air for a final blow and as the sun glints on the red stained mess of his sharp talons I look at his face one last time. His human form, the face of the boy who devastates my soul with just a look and even now, it melts all my defenses away. I've missed this face, even if his mind is not behind it.

That tanned perfection of a handsome male, the straight dark slash of eyebrows over unfamiliar soulless eyes. His squared jawline, his subtle etch of dimples, even though he's not smiling but scowling instead. Even like this, about to deliver a last blow, I can't hate him. My heart belongs to him and fills with the fresh ache of finally seeing him as his own face once again, after so many days, and I start to softly cry. Resigned to a goodbye and glad that it will be this sight I leave the world with.

Colton makes his move, no hesitation in his purpose, and I squeeze my eyes shit tight as I tense and prepare for the piercing pain of a delivered blow. I hold tight, my breath paused and my insides pulsating, but it doesn't come. A whoosh, a snarl, and then a voice rings true as something sweeps over my cheek with gentle furriness. A familiar presence sweeping away my loneliest moment.

Over my dead body, you asshole!

I yank my eyes open as a yelp sounds out and heat and warmth covers my head and arms with fresh new blood. It's not mine, it belongs to a wolf overshadowing me and putting themselves right in Colton's way to take his full rage. He's embedding his claws in the side and shoulder of my protector, ripping sideways to worsen the injury and they slump back almost on top of me, pushing me back with a hind leg to keep me safe. It's only then I realize I recognize the scent, even when tinged with the heavy stench of metallic blood.

From the back most wolves are hard to distinguish apart, and as this one bleeds out all over me, their life fluid dampening my clothes as much as my own, I know who it is. They hold off the bearing down of a second attack from my enraged aggressor and turn slightly while their amber eyes lock on mine in an almost smug flicker.

You think I wouldn't keep my promise, huh? My life fades before yours does, Luna.

I'm rendered silent in shock, knowing her return means she couldn't pull Sierra with her but wouldn't leave me to fight alone. She came back, she came to protect me.

Carmen turns away again as quickly, seeing her chance as Colton retracts to go for her again with extra vigor. Irritated that his slashing her to almost shreds hasn't fully taken her down from her protective stance as my shield. Carmen reacts, swift as a knife and launches herself at his throat. Putting her all into the fight, even though she's still trying to heal from the first impaling wounds she counteracted for me. With blood flying through the air, the deafening noise of body thudding to body, ripping and crying out, they entangle in a terrifying movement of fierce. Colton insta-transforms into wolf once more, annoyed that as human he isn't easily winning, snarling at a new opponent and black fur flies with increased aggression.

"Carmen, no.... He'll kill you!" I scream out after her, finding my voice even if all else fails me and I try to get up to offer her some aid. My emotions are all over the place, my heart thudding painfully and even though I should be focusing on my own body and how close I am to death, my mind and soul are with my sister. I struggle into a sitting position on my ass and arms and put all I have in me to sit up and attempt to muster any kind of energy. She's being mauled to pieces, under the fast and horrifying skill of my Mate and I can't bear it.

He ragdolls Carmen around like a bloody scrap and yet she holds on and defies the possibility of what I'm seeing here. It's like she's possessed with an unwavering need to not give up, no matter what he does to her. She stays persistent and despite her cries, her whines, and the way he's breaking her body one bone at a time, her eyes never lose that shining light of devotion to her cause. She's buying me time, she's sacrificing herself to give me precious seconds more, just in case. She's counting on fate taking over.

Colton picks up the limp and torn body as my sob catches me in my throat and chokes me with the heartache of seeing her so broken. My hurt trembling all over my body that this girl, who's come to mean so much in such a short time, is giving everything to see me safe.

I can see Carmen is fighting to heal and stay strong but he's not giving her time and she's not superhuman. Wolves need a moment to recover before new wounds are formed, or they can die, just as I'm doing now.

He wraps one hand around her throat with callous precision, pulling her nose to his so he can look her dead in the face while she hangs in the air as a torn mess. His second hand is still against her chest, his claws digging deep around her heart in her rib cage and she's clinging to his wrist to hold off the moment of jerking it from her body. Fighting him until the end and I completely break into hysteria. Eyes blinded by my tears and body shaking with the sheer force of my emotion.

"Colton, please...NOOOOO!! I beg you. Not her, please, stop..... don't hurt her........ Carmen, you're my sister. Don't give up. I need you too." I cry it so venomously it rasps and splices my throat with burning agony.

A mighty boom shudders through the air like a blast from a bomb and reverberates in every pore of my body like a sonic eruption. I'm thrown down as a wave of energy shudders through the lands and seems to cut through every soul standing. It's a whoosh of air, a travelling movement of visual disruption while pain and noise pulls my breath out from me and darkens the sky for a moment. Physically it seems to rip through every single living nerve within this forest and shakes senses like being splashed all over with icy cold water. A virtual slap across the face.

I blink as light starts to return with the sky opening back up to reveal the sun, wondering if this is what death is. If in that moment of despair, I finally crossed over from the living side and only I witnessed the extreme happening of our environment.

I gasp with the release of heaviness on my chest and spine, screw my eyes shut as the light painfully blinds me with sudden increased clarity and clutch at my stomach in an attempt to make this end faster. I thought death would take away the hurt but maybe I'm still passing through and my body hasn't fully cut the strands of my essence from the living world.

I stay paused waiting... waiting.... The pain of what that was fading as I slip out of consciousness slowly and I know I can't hold on any longer. I've lost so much blood and whatever that was, it's pushed me to want to sleep now, to let go and find my peace in the silence of the darkness. Maybe this is all how it's supposed to be and maybe I'll finally see my parents one more time. I know Colton and Sierra will follow close after me, so I'm not scared. Colton and I will be together on the other side, where spells can't keep him from me anymore.

I'm only glad that he isn't going to be the one to give me the final blow and end us. It's not going to go that way .... My body is opting out first. I sigh with the knowledge it won't be long before he comes to me and I get to wrap myself around all that I have missed.

"Lorey?..... Lorey, baby?" a panicked familiar voice tugs at my hearing but I can't open my eyes, the heaviness pulling me down so smoothly. Yet a warm smooth touch splays across my face, trying to keep me in the light as I'm tugged up and yet can't respond. "Baby why aren't you turning? ... Lorey...fuck.... I got you... I got you, baby. Hold on." His voice is a dream, it has to be, or maybe this is his confusion and suddenly finding himself following me to the underworld where magic can't touch him anymore. I don't understand how he can be on the other side before me, waiting, helping. Aren't I meant to die before my bonded family do?

I'm confused, my muddled mind losing its grip on reality as I clutch so desperately to keep some sense of awareness, but that's Colton's voice...I know that voice, but I can't see him and the warmth of his touch it can't be real. Because he's a wolf and he's the one killing me.

A tingling sensation starts at my arm, another on my throat and spreads to my chest as it feels like my body is pulled up into a strong cradling embrace and a weight is hauled from me. Against all my expectations, my eyes flutter open as darkness starts to recede and a pair of amber eyes in a familiar face are only inches from mine, reflecting a blue glow that brings my sight down to where it's coming from. My brain so cloudy that I stare numbly, with no sense of recognition for a second.

Human hands... blue healing glow on my arm and my upper chest and the armor, its laying beside me, dented and curled and slashed and yet I can't get my bearings at all. I don't know what's happening anymore.

"Colton?" I whisper in dazed confusion, knowing this is a dream. So weak, it sounds like the softest pitter patter of rain on the forest floor. Gazing up into the familiar face of the person I have wanted most all this time.

"I'm right here..... you're going to be okay, just stay still. Let me do this for a minute." It's his voice, my mate's husky, perfect, and beautiful voice, and my strength is coming back to me. The pain receding and my fogginess pushing back to clear my sight and my mind.

The first thing I see around his lowered head is the lack of mist around us, the brighter day minus the smog. With perfect clarity, the face of the person I have pined for most hovering over me, concern and despair etched into that cute boy face and those incomparable features. His voice trembling witht he sheer intensity of his pain at finding me this way.

"I don't what happened or why we're out here...I ...I.... baby, I'm so confused. Who hurt you? Why didn't I stop it?" He pulls me to his throat to cradle my face against him, his words strangled and it's clear he has no idea, still keeping one hand around my body and half hugs me. Never breaking the way his healing magic is pushing through my body and spreading to every inch of me as he restores everything to what it should be and yet more. His power revives my energy, renews my blood in ways Sierra never had a chance and brings back every ounce of my gifts to within my grasp. Every second brings me to reality and further away from a step into the underworld.

"I'm not dreaming...I'm not dead?" I utter breathlessly, finding the use of my own arms and wrapping them around his waist while gripping on tight, suddenly unable to get close enough even though we are pulled together, touching in several places. I close my eyes and inhale him, the familiar scent, with a need to be sure this isn't a dream and it's really him. I squeeze him with ferocity, my body trembling with happiness and try and bury myself into his warm safety as he chokes on a half cry half, half laugh and crushes his cheek to mine. He seems startled by my sudden needy possession of him, wrapping on, holding tight and unable to release him to let him breathe.

"God no....I would never let you die, baby. Lorey, what the hell happened? Who did this to you? How did I wake up here with no idea how I even... why didn't you turn? What's going on and why is the pack.....Carmen?" his confusion sobers me fully, lifting my face up to stare at him, as he glances at the now intact femme who saunters close enough to lean in and check on my progress. It seems his presence isn't her focus, but the making sure she sees me being restored to a state of zero damage. I look down to see the last of my wounds fading into memory, along with how much it hurt. My head clearing and my energy zings with happiness. I shake my head, so not able to tell him he's the one who did this, because I know it would kill him and we still have something else to focus on. I shrug, sighing, and reach for his face instead, sliding my arms around his neck so I can pull him closer to me. My heart fit to bursting with the joy and love and overwhelming feeling of being back in his arms.

"I've missed you so much." I cry into his embrace when he fully lifts me against his chest and onto his lap, pulling me so snug I'm fitted like a glove into his body and back where I belong. I'm home, wherever he is always feels like this. He holds me tight, breathing against my ear rapidly, as his own emotion gets the better of him, feeding from my own overwhelming chaos of happy and needy and I can tell it dampens his confusion but also raises more questions in his head.

"Missed me? I only left you minutes ago... I sent you back to the house, after Carmen and Meds. Why did you come back?" He presses his nose to mine, inhaling my scent and seems to try and grasp at his own memories, screwing his face up to understand what he woke up to. I want to kiss him so badly, but I hold back, knowing if I do I may not stop and let him go. My cravings for his intimacy, his touch, his nearness, almost start driving me to insanity now I finally get to hold him again.

Colton's memory is of the last seconds before the fog and I pull back to blink at him, aware that Leyanne broke the spell but this isn't over. As much as I want to relish in having him back, at staring at the gorgeousness of his brown eyes and sweet face, I know we can't right now. Our witch and our wolves are in that mountain and might need help to get back out.

"We don't have time right now, just trust me..... we need to get up and go get Meadow and the pack. They went into the mountain. The vampires won't let them go without a fight and there's only half a dozen of them."

"The what?" Colton's eyes widen in shock, pulling back rapidly but not letting me go and he darts a look up ahead of him at the looming rock in the distance, through the dense trees as though trying to visualize a scene before him. His pupils dilate as his brain kicks into gear and his entire body stiffens as I feed on his sudden panic and heavy confusion. Hesitating, as he looks down at me and then to the armor, before flicking a questioning glance at Carmen who stands silently nearby watching us. It's only now at looking past him I can see human wolves wandering around, mumbling to one another, all with dazed expressions and questions. Talking, looking this way. None of them remember anything.

"What aren't you telling me? Why didn't you turn?" Colton hits my eyes with his, slightly ambering as his feelings spiral and I can tell he's raking his memory for answers. I don't get a chance, just clinging to him to stop the shaking of my body. Reassuring myself that his touch is real, that his warmth is real. I missed him so much.

"What the fuck is going on?" Cesar falls onto his knees at the side of Colton, cutting into our reunion with his own tone of angry misunderstanding and hauls him by the arm. "Cole the entire fucking pack seems to be out here..... I have no idea why. And no one has any kind of clothing, so we all came out here and turned?!!?!?! Why are you here, Luna? You left!" Cesar looks over me and then narrows his eyes on the fact I do have clothes and yet they are blood soaked and torn, and there's a lot of chain mail on show and a discarded breastplate that's seen better days. I can almost decipher the questions forming behind that sharp gaze.

"Get up. Cesar, Meadow is in the mountain with rabid vampires who fancy a wolfy munch for breakfast, we need to go get her." It's all the words he needs as his eyes widen and his expression tightens. Carmen's haughty way of explaining does a better job than my pleading lame commands could.

"Hell no, those fuckers touch my girl over my dead body." He's on his feet turning in a flash, no hesitation or doubting what she says. He needs to protect his mate against all costs, and with a howl, seems to rally the troops around us and tears off in the direction of the mountain as Colton moves me to a seated position on the ground beside him. I can feel his indecision about leaving me. He's rattled because he woke to find me close to death and something in him seems to be rooting him here instead of going with Cesar to take the lead.

"I... I .....Turn and stay on my tail, don't leave my shadow. We'll get them out, you can explain after. Just don't stray away, okay?" He makes a move, let's go of me gently as I sit myself straighter and gets up onto his feet, but stops when I hesitate, and turns back to me. He has no idea how it feels to see him again, that he's here, and he's him and the spell is gone but at the same time..... my desire to stick to his ass and follow him isn't realistic.

"I can't ... leave me here...go ... I'll be okay. I can't keep up like this and I don't need to now you're here. I'll follow, I promise. Go please, save them." I plead, begging with my eyes that he stops delaying.

"I don't understand, Lorey.... I'm not leaving you here after I found you like that. I never leave you. Get up, come with me. Mates stay side by side." he reaches a hand out to me, but I push it away, hating that I only just got him back and I'm urging him to leave me. I have to, their safety is priority now.

Without the wolves in the woods there is no immediate danger here anymore for me. It's daylight and a chunk of our pack is inside that mountain fighting to get out again. Besides, despite Cesar taking off like a bat out of hell with all the ones around this immediate area, Carmen still stands quiet and on guard, making it clear she stays with me.

"I won't be far behind you, I'm slower right now. Please Colton, there's too much to explain, just go where you're needed and bring them out. Carmen's here, she won't let any harm come to me." I point out with a bright smile, trying to soothe his unease.

I see the torn decision in him, the way his eyes shift from me to her and the obvious mistrust that what I say can be true. I mean for him, Carmen is a sobbing mess whose mom just died and hates me, right? How can I trust her to be my bodyguard when I have powers that are stronger than hers. Why am I not just turning white wolf and savagely kicking Vampire ass by his side? I can see it all spinning through his head, trying to put the pieces together and understand nothing.

His inability to choose between the need to go and do what I ask. To save his pack from whatever he doesn't understand, but also the need to stay with me because waking up to me like that has clearly shaken him to the core. He's afraid of what he doesn't remember has happened. Afraid I'm not safe and he can't fathom why my gifts are failing me.

He doesn't need to make any kind of call as a howl ahead is followed by a link, and in a blink the decision isn't required, and he turns instantly. I hear it too, the call for help from our own wolves inside the mountain and the alpha in him takes over. Wolf materializes before me as he leans in and rubs his huge face against the top of my head in a show of tender affection. It's his way of saying I love you, but I need to go.

I trust you. Follow. If you need me, link....You know I'll come to you.

In a flash he's gone, hightailing after Cesar in the direction of the call and I pull myself up to recover. I need a moment to myself to let all this catch up and I instinctively check my body for any signs of wounds and find nothing at all. Colton has fully healed every single tiny scratch and abrasion and I can already tell I'm so much stronger from his attentions. His return has brought back my safety, security, and peace of mind. Inhaling heavily and shaking my limbs to test them, I'm still not quite letting it sink in that he's really okay, and this is almost over. We have them back, our strongest – our alpha. Our sub pack. We can't fail now we outnumber the vampires this way too.

"You okay? Really?" Carmen comes to my side, kneeling down beside me and takes a minute to check for herself, pulling my underclothes from my breastplate aside to check down my neck and chest. A stern expression as she meticulously looks for herself and seems satisfied by her examination. She pulls the shield piece over and bends it back to the shape it should be and slides it to my body in a swift motion to once again clip it to the chain mail.

"I don't need it anymore, and yes, I feel healed and......" I can't put into words how much my soul is soaring; my heart is swelling, and my sanity is returned. Healed and reborn as my love is returned to me fully. There's no other feeling like this and adrenaline overtakes me with a squealing happiness. It feels like the past week of heavy depression has gone and the sun is shining brighter than it has in days.

"Good, and don't argue. It still serves a purpose, and vampires can't splice metal like we can" She's stern, bossy, and despite my being HER Luna, she puts it back on me and tugs the straps into place to secure it. I gaze at her stubborn little face and can't help but begin to smile at her, warmth overtaking me.

"You're so...... don't change." I sigh happily, ignoring the way she squints at me and then tosses her hair back like she doesn't care. I see it though, the soft little flicker in her eyes and she turns away and looks to the mountain with a nod as a way to evade the moment.

"We should go. Meadow needs us." She reminds me, avoiding any further bonding, and dodging my words. I nod, knowing she's right and give myself a two-second breather and then haul off the ground with a little help from her before I smooth my hand over my stomach to check for any kind of pain or discomfort.

"Hold on in there, not much more and we're home free. Daddy is okay. We guys are okay.... hold tight, babies." I smile to myself, feeling Carmen's gaze but there's no hint of envy or jealousy, or even heartache. She stares clearly at my belly and a smile touches her face that chases away the pointed cold aloof that is always ever present. A hint that if she ever let someone remove that icy wall, a beautiful and warm soul exists inside. I sense only her desire to do what she said. Keep my unborn safe. The promise she made me.

I turn on my toes and go sprinting after Colton at hyperspeed, following his scent and renewed with energy and vigor with the fact our pack is restored, and my mate is back where he belongs. I know my energy will lapse again, but for now, I have his power in me too with the efforts of his healing and I can run faster than before. Once again in control, chasing vampires and kicking the ass of the right creatures instead of us.

Let's see how they fare now we ruined their plans and reunited our pack