From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 31

Eric's POV

I felt my canines elongate as my thrusts became erratic. Lisa's body tensed beneath me, her back arching. Her pussy clamped down on my cock in rhythmic waves, pulling me deeper.

I felt Lisa's body tensing beneath me, her breathing becoming erratic as she approached her climax. Her inner walls began to pulse around my cock, her back arching off the bed.

"Now," she gasped, tilting her head to expose her throat. "Mark me now!"

As her orgasm crashed through her, I sank my teeth into the juncture of her neck and shoulder, breaking the skin. The taste of her blood flooded my mouth as magic surged between us, initiating the bond.

The effect was immediate and overwhelming. Lisa's body convulsed violently beneath me, her internal muscles clamping down and rhythmically milking my cock with supernatural intensity. The dual sensation of her blood on my tongue and her pussy gripping me like a vise pushed me over the edge.

My release tore through me with unprecedented force, my seed pumping deep inside her. In that moment of perfect vulnerability, Lisa's eyes flashed golden with her wolf's presence. She lunged upward with surprising strength, her own canines elongating as she bit into the same spot on my neck.

The shock of her marking me while I was still emptying myself inside her sent another powerful wave of pleasure crashing through my body. Our mating bond formed fully in both directions, connecting us on a level deeper than physical. I could feel her heartbeat aligning with mine, her emotions flowing into me as mine flowed into her, creating a perfect circuit of sensation.

Lisa's body convulsed in a third, more powerful orgasm as our mutual marking took hold, her scream of pleasure mingling with my own guttural growl. Through our newly formed bond, I could feel the exquisite mixture of pain and ecstasy that coursed through her, just as she could feel mine.

*Mine. Forever mine,* Maddox proclaimed, satisfaction rolling through him as my hips continued to pump weakly, emptying every last drop inside her.

*Always yours,* Raven answered, her presence warm and bright in our shared mental space. *And you are ours now too,* she added with fierce possessiveness.

I collapsed beside her, pulling her sweaty body against mine, both of us careful of our freshly marked shoulders. The bites were already healing, the edges glowing faintly as magic sealed them into permanent marks—matching silvery crescents that would forever identify us as each other's true mate.

"I can feel you," Lisa whispered in wonder, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest as we lay tangled together afterward. "Even when you close your eyes, I can feel what you're feeling."

The ritual complete, I felt something new solidify between us—a deeper awareness of Lisa's emotions, her heartbeat syncing with my own. The mate bond, already powerful, had transformed into something unbreakable and eternal.

We rested in contented silence, the world outside our cabin forgotten.

"You seemed tense when you arrived," she observed, running her fingers through my hair. "Was it just anticipation, or is something bothering you?"

I sighed, the peaceful bubble we'd created suddenly pierced by memories of my argument with Julia. "Just family drama. My sister brought her boyfriend home for Christmas."

"And that's a problem because...?" Lisa prompted, her head tilted in curiosity.

"Because she's making a mistake. She's dating some college prefect named Daniel instead of waiting for her actual mate." I frowned, recalling the defiance in Julia's eyes. "You should have seen her at dinner, introducing him like he's something special. My parents were falling all over themselves to welcome him."

"What's wrong with him?" Lisa asked.

"Nothing specific. He seems nice enough. Polite. But that's not the point." I sat up, frustration returning. "I don't understand why she's wasting her time with someone who isn't her destined mate. When she finally meets her real mate, she'll regret all this."

Lisa was quiet for a moment, studying my face. "Are you sure she hasn't met her mate yet?"

The question caught me off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Lisa said carefully, "you seem very certain she'll meet her mate in the future. But what if she's already met him?"

"Then she wouldn't be with Daniel," I replied automatically.

Lisa's expression grew serious. "Not necessarily. Eric, has your sister shown any... unusual symptoms? Unexplained pain, mood swings, extreme reactions to certain people?"

I started to shake my head, then stopped as memories surfaced. Julia doubled over in pain for no apparent reason. Julia's face going pale when Nathan walked into a room with another female.

"She does get upset sometimes," I admitted slowly. "Especially when Nathan dates other girls. But that's just because she's had this weird crush on him since we were teenagers."

Lisa sat up straighter. "Nathan—your best friend? The future Alpha of your pack?"

"Yeah." I nodded, not understanding her sudden intensity.

"And how does Nathan feel about your sister?"

I shrugged. "He's pretty hard on her. Says she needs to learn respect for pack hierarchy."

Lisa took my hands in hers, her touch gentle but her gaze unwavering. "Eric, think about it. What if Nathan is Julia's mate, but he rejected her?"

The suggestion hit me like a physical blow. I stared at Lisa, my mind racing through memories with new perspective—Nathan's terrible behavior toward Julia after his awakening, his obsessive monitoring of her activities, his rage whenever she showed independence.

"A mate experiences pain when their destined partner is with someone else," Lisa continued quietly. "They feel it like a physical wound. Every time he dates another wolf, every time he touches someone else, she would feel it. That's why she's trying to escape to another pack, isn't it? Why she's pursuing that scholarship so desperately?"

I felt sick. "Oh God," I whispered. "I've been mocking her pain. I've been helping Nathan control her."

Memories flooded back—the countless times I'd reported Julia's activities to Nathan, the way I'd helped isolate her within the pack, how I'd dismissed her achievements and ambitions.

"I've been a terrible brother," I said, voice breaking. "I even told Nathan about her bringing Daniel home. Goddess..."

Lisa didn't contradict me, but her eyes held compassion. "What you've done until now doesn't define you," she said firmly. "What you choose to do now that you know the truth—that's what determines the kind of wolf you are."

My mind was a battlefield of conflicting loyalties. Nathan had been my best friend since childhood. We were supposed to lead the pack together—Nathan as Alpha, me as his Beta. But Julia was my sister. If Lisa was right, Nathan had sentenced Julia to years of suffering and lied to everyone about it.

"I need to help her," I said finally. "But Nathan will see it as betrayal."

"Sometimes the right path isn't the easy one," Lisa replied, squeezing my hand. "You have to decide what matters more—your loyalty to Nathan or your sister's right to freedom and happiness."

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the choice before me. Through our newly strengthened bond, I felt Lisa's unwavering support—not pushing me in either direction, but offering her strength regardless of my decision.

"I have to make this right," I whispered. "I've been standing on the wrong side all along."