Page 11 of A Luna's Revenge

"What's going on?" He whispers?

"I don't know." I choke out a sob. "I don't know." We look at the now unmarred skin above my heart, and I grow cold as I realize the mark has faded to ash. "Noooooo! Charlie! Noooooo!"

I jump to my feet and tear through the house, out the back door. I charge to our meadow. I am stopped dead in my tracks as I take in the sight. Charlie's beautiful wedding gown and veil hang on the tree, destroyed and covered in mud. Her shoes below it, with her bouquet, arealso destroyed. "Noooooo!" I howl.

I look at the tree with our heart carved into it. Nothing remains but raw wood inside the outline of the heart. That was our tree. We carved that at 13 years old.

I am devastated. I fall to my knees, clutching the train of her wedding dress in my hands, and my head falls to the ground.I hear an echo of my wolf in my head."Now you feel a portion of what Charlie felt."

"Charlie." I gasp. "Charlie." I curl in a fetal position and sob.

Charlie

I reach my destination just minutes before 5:00 PM. Jenson should be receiving my little gift any moment now. I’m alone in the small college town of Sparksburg, in the back parking lot of a strip mall. I’m unsure what brought me here, but this is where I am at the appointed time.

I spread a soft blanket next to my vehicle and lay out the items for the ritual: my grimoire, a shiny silver knife with a leather handle, and two small bottles of potion—one for pain relief and one to promote healing.

Sitting on the blanket, I take a deep breath and take out the alcohol and gauze. Putting on surgical gloves, I pull my blouse down to expose my mate mark above my breast. After carefully sterilizing the site and the knife, I clasp my talisman momentarily, feeling the weight of what I’m about to do.

As I focus on my purpose, I remind myself that this ritual is more than a procedure; it’s a way for me to take back my power.

With trembling fingers, I take the gauze and apply a generous amount of the pain andhealing potions. I am ready to begin with the knife now poised over the scar. I hope this goes as planned.

Taking another cleansing breath, I begin, "I, Charlie Ann Black, Luna of the Little Silver Creek Pack, hereby rescind my position as Luna and as a pack member." I instantly feel themantle of the pack bond lift from my shoulders, and calm settles in my chest as I officially become a lone wolf.

I take another deep breath and continue,"I, Charlie Ann Black, reject you, Jenson Black, Alpha of the Little Silver Creek Pack as my mate." The sharp pain that impales me as the mate bond shatters nearly doubles me over.

Panting, I start to slice around the mate mark. A pain unlike anything I’ve felt before surges across my sensitive skin, searing like a white-hot flame. I almost hesitate, but I can't stop now. I have to cut all ties so Jenson can’t find me. I have to remove the mark before I lose consciousness.

I continue cutting with my right hand while I lift the bottle containing the pain relief potion with my left. Shivering, I pour more liquid on the spot where I am working. Dizziness assails me, but I press on with the knife. Finally, the fragment of skin with my mate mark falls free and fades to ash. In desperation, I quickly pour the remaining pain potion over my burning skin. Collapsing to the ground, I also empty the healing potion onto my breast. Black spots dance before my eyes as the bottle slips from my trembling hand, and everything goes black.

Chapter 7 - The Awakening

Charlie

"Where am I?" I rise from my prone position on the grass. Turning in circles, my eyes taking in everything. I appear to be in a meadow. The sky is clear blue and the sun shines brightly, warming my skin. "Am I dead?"

"I, Charlie Ann Black, reject you, Jenson Black, Alpha of the Little Silver Creek Pack, as my mate."echoes loudly through the meadow. I drop back down to my knees as the flashback is so vivid.

"Jenson!" I wail as the memory washes over me. I stand.

"Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" I hear Jenson yell, panicked! "Charlie!"

Visions of a better time circle on a loop through my head.

Toddlers, Jenson pushing me on a swing. I fall and scrape my knees. As I begin to cry, Jenson pats my face gently and kisses my cheek. There are unshed tears in his eyes as he comforts me.

Us, at ten, werebarefoot and wading in the creek, catching frogs. Jenson grabs one up and chases me with it. I scream until he finally stops. We fall to the ground laughing.

Twelve years old at a carnival, riding the Ferris wheel. Jenson stuffing his face with hotdogs while I demolish a pink cotton candy. Smiles plastered to our faces.

Thirteen, Jenson and I standing in our meadow. He is carving 'Jenson loves Charlie' inside a heart. After he finishes, he caresses my shyly downturned face and pulls my chin up. Leaning over, we share our very first kiss.

Sixteen, our first 'real' date. We are dropped off at the movies. Jenson's teal eyes shine and promise forever that night in the dark theater with the movie flickering, neither of us watching it.

We discovered we were fated mates when I turned eighteen, just as we had hoped and dreamed.

The day Jenson got down on his knee in our meadow and proposed. I cried! He cried when I said "yes." I promised not to tell anyone that the big bad Alpha had cried.

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