Soiled Goods

**BLANCA**
My eyes go wide as saucers. "Y-you can s-smell-"
"I can smell his seed! Yes!" he cuts me off with a growl.
"Oh," I say sadly, wrapping my arms around myself and shaking my head. *If I tell him what happened, will he even believe me?*
"Oh?" he laughs, throwing his head back with a snort. "That's all you have to say? You give yourself to someone who isn't your mate and all you have to say is, *'Oh'*?"
"I didn't *give* myself to anyone!" I snap, angrily.
"Don't lie to me!" he hisses, his face coming in close as he glares at me in disgust. "Tell me *his* name!"
"Why does it matter?" I screech, doing my best not to cry. "You aren't going to accept me anyway!"
The tension in his muscles lessens, his eyes shifting back to gold as a smile spreads across his lips. "Finally, some truth comes out of that mouth. I knew you felt it." He inches closer and the heat from his body tingles against mine, making it hard for me to breathe. He is *so* handsome. *So* perfect. It hurts to look at him when he's this close. He hums deep in his chest as his eyes slowly rove over my body, a fire sizzling in them when they lock on the rise and fall of my chest. "Why did you pretend you didn't feel it? Why did you pretend you didn't know?" He watches as one of his hands slides down the wall to trace over the curve of my hip. Then, he explores further, his hand slipping behind me to mold itself over my rear on the outside of my dress. He gives it a slight squeeze and my breath catches, heat pooling at my core. "Answer me," he whispers and the sound does something to me. I feel a pulse of pleasure between my legs unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Suddenly, his nostrils flare wide and he snatches his hand back as if he's been burned.
"You made me your *slave*, not your *Luna*," I reply.
Staring down at me, his eyes go cold. "You murdered my *brother*. You could *never* be my Luna."
I bite my lip to keep it still and again I wonder *why* the Goddess chose this for me. "So then, I'm a slave."
"I am the Alpha, and *you* are Shiftless. It's forbidden."
"By who? Not by the Moon Goddess, apparently," I can't help but snap.
He glowers, "Maybe the Moon Goddess only wanted to see you punished for your crime. Maybe she knew this was the only way to ensure your suffering!"
As much as I don't want his words to affect me, they do. *It can't be that. That can't be true. She's the only one who knows how much I've endured already.* "Well then, poor you. What an injustice to be mated to the likes of me. What *will* your friends think?"
"You don't get it. No one is going to know," he says simply. "If they find out, then I will have to hurt you. Are you going to make me hurt you, Blanca?"
Just like that, the tiny thread of hope I had in me burns to ash. *You already have.*
He chuckles, "You can’t tell anyone that we are mates.”
I tremble, staring up at my newest monster with pleading eyes. "Then reject me and we won’t be.”
“If I do that, I might as well have you executed.”
“Good.”
He flinches and his eyes melt to liquid gold as he studies me. "No. I'm not going to give you your escape."
"Then *I’ll* reject *you*!" I say, anger boiling in my gut.
He snatches my throat and sparks heat my flesh at the contact. Something like panic fills his gaze as he snarls, "Do it and I will put you back in that prison and forget that you ever existed." He stares at my lips, his eyes going black as he says, "I can’t reject you until I have an heir."
*Does he really think I'll lay with him?* “You’ll have to force one on me!” I snap.
He laughs darkly. “Not from you. From my future Luna.”
I can’t help the hurt that I feel when he says that. My chest burns and tears cloud my vision. What’s worse is that he notices and his face softens.
That quickly I am angry again. “Then I’ll kill you.”
He smirks, leaning in until his mouth hovers over mine. “You are welcome to try. In fact, I almost want you to. Because, when you fail, I’ll take my anger out on that sweet little ass of yours.”
*Of course. How silly of me to think he wasn't just like the rest of them.*
"You'll never *touch* this ass of mine!" I promise, my chin lifting with more bravery than I feel.
His eyes go hard and cold as he releases my throat to step away from me. "As if I'd want soiled goods anyway," he says with a sneer.
My lip quivers at the look of disgust on his face and once again I bite it to keep it still.
"Come on. I'll show you where you're sleeping tonight. Then tomorrow, after your branding, you'll be assigned a small room in the packhouse and receive your duties from Gamma Corlys."
My ears perk up and my body begins to shake with fear. *Gamma Corlys. I remember him. He hates Shiftless.* Of course the branding will undoubtedly poison me and I'll more than likely die from it. So, in the end I'll get what I wanted. I will be at peace. I should be happy about that, but for some reason I'm not.
*Because you've suddenly been given a chance to see the sun again is why not!* But I know that's not the only reason.
As I follow Max up two flights of stairs I realize that maybe he was right. Maybe the Moon Goddess does want me to suffer. Why else would she give me to a mate that will *never* accept me?