23. Challenged

I woke up feeling well rested and fucked. My body ached in all the right places. I was sore but I didn’t mind that. It just proved how well Darren took care of me yesterday. I was held lovingly in his arms and as much as I wanted to stay in bed, I had to pee.

As gently as I could, I lifted his hands off my abdomen and got up. The minute my feet hit the floor, they wobbled a bit. I smiled at that because I never thought that it was possible to be fucked so well and thoroughly that you couldn’t walk.

After the first round, Darren promised that by the time he was done with me I wouldn’t walk straight. I didn’t believe him. I should have.

He and Kai had been insatiable taking me over and over. At one time Darren had allowed Kai to take charge and he fucked me in positions I never knew I could manage.

I continue smiling as I walked slowly towards the bathroom. The ache between my legs a reminder that I was now his. I still couldn't believe that I was now mated.

I always dreamed of this since I was a child. To have my mate. I forced those dreams down after my time in captivity because first of all my fated mate was in love with someone else and second because I thought I was damaged goods.

I guess the goddess didn’t hate me as much as I thought. I know that this was a proposal and there was a chance of it ending but his words yesterday. When he told me that once I was his he wasn’t planning on letting me go, gave me some kind of assurance.

“I can’t believe you let him mark you?” Raya screams at me.

I almost slip on the tiled bathroom floor from surprise. I wasn’t expecting her. In fact I had hoped that with Darren marking me, his mark would stabilize Raya even if it’s just a little.

“It was necessary” I say as I sit on the toilet bowl.

I wince as I pee. I needed a soak in the bathtub. Maybe that will help with the soreness.

After I finish my business, I get up and wash my hands. It’s then that I notice that I smelled like Darren.

I know it’s normal given that we had sex and I spent the whole night in his arms, but this was different.

It takes a few minutes but I’m hit with reality.

When he marked and mated me, he transferred some of his essence to me and vice versa. In simple words, he imprinted on me and combined our scents. Now everyone will know I was his, not just because of his mark but also because his scent was part of my own.

“It wasn’t necessary…just like always you thought about no one but yourself and took what you wanted”

Raya’s snarls bring me back to the present.

“I’m not even going to respond to that because I refuse to let you continue to put me down” I snap at her. “I’m done, Raya. If you want to continue wallowing in misery then be my fucking guest but I will not let you drag me down with you…I’m choosing to chase happiness so you can either support me or get the fuck out of my way”

With that, I block her. I was so tired of being punished by her. She only had the mental scars to show for our time in captivity while I had both the physical and emotional. I went through just as much as did and I wasn’t going to let her keep pulling me to hell with her.

Decision made, I leave the bathroom. My eyes immediately go to the handsome man on the bed.

Darren was on his back, an arm thrown over his eyes and the sheets laying low on his hips. I could see the delicious V and the dark trail hair that pointed downwards.

Unable to help myself, I walk towards him. Holding my hair back, I kiss his forehead and then his lips.

He mumbles something but doesn’t wake up.

When my stomach growls, I put on my clothes and leave the room after giving his peaceful face one last look.

I follow the smell of breakfast. I ignore the curious looks that Darren’s members give me and just nod at them in greeting. No one needed to ask who I was. I was sure they heard us and felt it when their Alpha marked me last night.

Getting to the kitchen, I find the omegas busy at work.

“Luna” they bow in respect.

Damn. That was going to take some time to get used to. Can’t believe I was now Darren’s mate and Luna.

“Uh, you can just call me Mayra” I tell them, smiling a little.

They smile back.

One of them, I think the head Omega turns to me. “What would you like to eat?”

“Anything that’s available. I’m really not that picky”

Being starved and held prisoner helps you appreciate food. There were times when we weren’t fed and other times the food given was so little that we had to fight each other just to get a portion.

“I see you are up and about…Congratulations by the way”

I turn to the sound of Brent’s voice and smile at him.

“Hey Brent…how are you and how are Claire and the kids?”

Apart from Ren, Claire and Lilly had come to mean a lot to me. They were the types of friends anyone would be lucky to have. They love fiercely and are loyal to the core.

He grins wide at the mention of his family. This always happens and this is what I had imagined my life being like. A mate that smiled stupidly when I or our children were mentioned.

“They’re good…they miss you a lot”

I make a mental note to visit them soon. I would have wanted to do a girls night out like we usually did but Ren wasn’t that far away from having her twins so Sebastian wouldn’t want her far away from him.

“I’ll go see them once I’m able to squeeze some free time”

“Sure thing…Luna” he says wink.

We talked while we ate but he didn’t stay long. He said he just came to drop some papers and to congratulate me on being their new Luna.

After he is gone, I sit and continue eating while I engage the omegas. Once I was done I turned to leave but bumped into someone.

“Sorry" I mutter looking up The woman I bumped into sneers at me. Looking at me in disgust.

“So this is the woman our Alpha chose as a mate?” she asks her friends mockingly. “She’s hideous and weak there’s no way she’s our Luna…she must have put a spell on him or something”

They nod in agreement. Their arms folded across their chest.

I don’t say anything. Of course they couldn’t sense my aura because I had blocked Raya.

“I heard she’s one of those that were held as prisoners…word is she used to sleep with the guards to get special treatment. I don’t know why Alpha Darren would choose a hoe for a mate” she continues.

She had drawn the attention of others. I hated the attention and I didn’t want to start a fight on my first day here.

“Leave her alone Lucy…she’s the Luna, show her some respect and accept the Alpha’s decision” a blonde haired man says.

So the woman was called Lucy. I wonder what position she held. She seemed awfully arrogant.

“He made a mistake…I’m a warrior's daughter. He should have picked me. I’m more equipped to be Luna” she snarls.

Ahh. It made sense. What she doesn’t know is that she may be a warrior's daughter but I am an Alpha’s daughter. I may be broken and my aura may not be as strong as it used to be years ago but it’s still in my blood.

“Excuse me” I say.

I didn’t have time for this. This looked like some high school drama shit. I had more important things to do.

I go to side step her but she grabs my hair and yanks it hard making me shriek in pain.

“Who do you think you are? I wasn’t done talking to you bitch”

“Let go” I snarl.

To be honest I was a little scared. Yes I was more dominant but I didn’t see eye to eye with Raya. The last time I asked for her help she denied me. If this escalated I would be left vulnerable because we all know Raya hates my guts and she would be happy to see my ass get kicked.

“Sure” she gives me a saccharine sweet smile and lets go of my hair right before she slaps me.

I see red. The roar that leaves my mouth was terrifying even to my own ears. I’m a little satisfied when I see fear in her eyes right before I kick her. She goes flying and crushes into the wall.

She gets up and shifts. The fact that she shifted meant that she was issuing a challenge. I shift and hear gasps. I was an alpha female so Raya was slightly bigger. I was relieved that she had allowed me to shift. My relief is momentarily forgotten when Lucy charges at me.

I shake myself from the shock. Clamping my jaws around her neck, I shake her before throwing her from me. She hits a pack member and the same pack member pushes her towards me. Her wolf’s eyes narrow as we circle each other.

She attacks but I’m too fast for her and she ends up sprawled on the floor. Before she can recover I bring my paws down her hind legs. She howls in pain and I revel in the sound of breaking bone.

For a warrior's daughter she was pathetic.

She struggles to stand up and comes at me again limping. I had to give it to her, she was tenacious. I snarl when she manages to nip my tail. In return I bite her side and come off with a big chunk of her flesh.

She was getting tired and I wanted to end this. I needed to go back home and get Iris.

I shift back but she doesn’t.

“Shift” I command, putting power into my voice. Immediately her wolf recedes and Lucy stands before me naked and on a broken leg.

She looks at me defiantly. I guess she hadn’t learnt her lesson yet. I needed to establish my dominance ar anyone would think it’s okay to challenge me “Submit”

She refuses. Instead she snarls and snaps at me.

“I won’t repeat myself”

She still refuses. Her disrespect brings Raya forth.

“Fucking submit” she lashes out and claws her face.

Lucy screams in pain but finally surrenders and falls on her knees before us. Her face bleeding.

“Luna” she whispers, afraid.

“Anyone else want to challenge me?” I ask looking directly at her friends.

One of them scoffs. Without even realizing I moved. I was in front of her. My claws digging into her neck. Her feet hanging off the ground as she struggled to get me off her. Everyone scrambles away from us.

“Do you have anything to say?” I ask with a smirk. “ Because I’m all ears”

“N-N- No Luna” she stammers her eyes downcast.

“I thought so”

I let her go and she collapses on the floor, still choking on her own blood.

I stare down every one of them and one by one they start getting down on their knees in a sign of submission.

It’s then I see Darren standing near the entrance, grinning like an idiot. He walks towards me. Casting a scathing look at Lucy and her friends he addresses them.

“I’ll deal with the two of you later, no disrespects my mate” his voice is so cold I wonder if this was the same Darren I knew.

Once he is near me, he snakes an arm around my waist and brings me close. He buries his nose in my neck. He gently nips the mark he gave me.

“My Luna” he says loud enough for everyone to hear right before he claims my lips in a deep passionate kiss.

There was no doubt he was making another public statement. I didn’t mind that all.

“Thank you Raya” I tell her a few minutes later while the pack congratulated us.

I didn’t have to tell her why I was thanking her. She already knew.

She smirks. “I couldn’t let her disrespect me, besides, no one gets to throw insults at you except for me”

I roll my eyes and sigh. Here I thought she had helped out of the kindness of her heart. I guess I was wrong.