13.

**Michael**

*'You hurt our mate. Go to her. She's in pain,'* Zane shouted to me.

“SHE'S YOUR MATE. NOT MINE. I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT A MATE. MY CHOICE!” I replied in the same tone. I was beyond furious at my lack of control over him, marking her was a mistake. I had to hurt her, who will want a fucked up wolf like me. Why won't Zane understand this?

Before I had a chance to focus back into the present, I felt a stinging in my cheek. In front of me, stood my mother and brother with anger in their eyes. I deserved the anger from my mother but Maxwell. Why was he so pissed?

"Why did you do that?" I asked stupidly rubbing my cheek. "I raised you better than this. She's your mate for goddess' sake. How can you be so cruel to her, you marked her then pushed her away. This isn't the Michael I raised," my mother said.

"My wolf marked her. Not me, I don't want a mate. She's not even of alpha's blood, I don't care if she's marked but she isn't mine," I said to them, barely holding on to my temper.

The words felt bitter in my mouth. I was talking out of my ass but my family was convinced that I was truly a jerk. This was my way of saving this pack from another one of my screw-ups.

"You're still an arrogant, inconsiderate no good fucking coward!" Maxwell shouted.

"Oh really. Thank you for your kind words, brother. If you care so much for the little mutt, why don't you be her mate? Since she's not Luna material, maybe she can go to second best," I sneered.

The words that came out of my mouth made my wolf growl in disgust at me which brought on an inkling of pain. Again, it didn't feel right to say those things. The taste of her lips was still prominent on mine. Some sort of candy she was eating made me want to go find myself some also.

"At least the one who's not fit to be an alpha sees that he doesn't deserve a Luna nor a mate," he said coldly.

Before I knew it, I had my little brother against the wall by his throat. "And you think you deserve to be alpha? You pathetic excuse of a wolf. Maybe you do deserve that girl. I don't give a fuck what happens to her. Just stay away from me," I said.

His wolf was surfacing. I can feel his pulse began to beat faster and his skin getting hotter.

"Stop it you two. Please," I heard my mother cried but I chose to ignore her.

"Awwwww hit a sore spot, didn't I? You have a crush on the little brat. Finding an equal pathetic wolf to be by your side, how sweet," I said condescendingly.

His wolf was rising to the surface as mom tried to pull me away. I didn't care at all.

I never wanted a mate. My wolf was the one who wanted her. He was fighting me to go to her but I was stronger and kept him down. That's what mates do, they make you weak and pathetic. Turns you into a sap. That is not who I am now. No woman will make me a fool again.

I will show them all that I deserved to be alpha, even after what happened a year ago. I was born to be alpha and I can do it without a Luna given by the goddess. I will choose my own Luna.

"Emma truly doesn't deserve you. You're too cold-hearted to be loved by her," He snarled shifting into his wolf throwing me to the ground.

He was snapping at me while I stayed calm with a smug smile on my face.

"Enough!" We both heard our father shouted in his alpha voice. Maxwell growled at me in anger one last time then clawed my shoulder enough to make the wound bleed and hurt me.
I made an attempt to shift but my wolf disobeyed. Huffing in disgust, my brother bolted out the door. All I heard was my mother's cries and my father trying to comfort her.

"Haven't made thirty minutes and you managed to cause a mess I can't fix. Tell me Michael, do you seek comfort in hurting others?" Dad asked in a defeated tone.

I gingerly got up wincing at the stinging pain in my shoulder.

"Emma may not be of alpha blood to be 'your perfect mate'. But she's special. I ..... How can you... She has been through enough now you just added to her troubles," mom said to me through her tears.

*'Mate in pain. She needs us,'* Zane finally decides to respond to me. I blocked him out.

"I certainly don't need to carry her burdens neither does she need to carry mine. We are better off apart." I said trying to talk over the pain I was feeling.

*'Sooner or later you won't be able to ignore that pain, the result of our claim.'* Zane said sadly.

“Your claim,” I corrected but he didn't reply. Zane whimpered and cut himself off from me. I felt empty. For the past year, I have felt the loneliness, regret, and guilt but now with my wolf abandoning me and this mate bond I'm trying so hard to resist, I felt even emptier.

"A mate was made to help you through your toughest times son," dad said coming closer to me.

That wasn't who I am, don't they see that? I will never allow anyone in, not even my family after the incident and now I was to let my ‘mate’ in?!

"Dad. I understand what you mean but I don't want a mate. I don't need one." I grounded out.

*'We do,'* Zane's dejected whisper made me felt guilty for taking away the one thing he asked me for. We don't deserve her.

"Then you should have thought of that before you marked her."

"My wolf did. Why the fuck y'all care about her anyway? "

"Because... Son, I know you're fighting your inner demons still but at this moment no ounce of sympathy will be wasted on you. You can't stay here. The fact that you're my son is the only reason you haven't been banished before and now." With his words, pain and disappointment clouded his eyes.

"I don't need anyone's sympathy. " I said leaving the kitchen.

"Give him time," was the last thing I heard from my mother as I closed the door.

**

Making my way to the packhouse, everyone cleared the way as I came into their focus. Some bowed their head in respect while others scampered away. It was clear to everyone that I was not in a good mood. Reaching to the old room I had there, I slammed the door shut so hard that a picture fell off the wall.

Falling back on the bed, I tried to calm down but when I closed my eyes, her sad teary eyes came into mind. Beautiful olive-green eyes. I do admit that I've handled the situation wrong and I should have rejected her outright but her scent.... her delicate...

"NO!" I shouted to myself climbing off the bed, "I just have to show them they are wrong. That's all I have to do."



************************************************

**Maxwell**

Following her faint scent, I ran in the direction she went. I felt guilty as to what happened to her. Though I wasn't the one who made my brother mark her, I still felt bad about the situation. Her heartbreaking cries squeezed my heart so badly. I just wanted to comfort her. At that moment, I didn't see her as a potential mate but as a friend or sister whom I needed to help.

Goddess, please let her be alright.

As I got closer to where her scent was strongest, I picked up two more scents.

Her brothers.

Shit.

They heard me approach and went into a defense mode. Each brother shielding her. One in wolf form and the other in human form.

The twin, in human form I realized, was Noah. He was the most protective of the two when it came to Emma. He held her in his arms like a baby as she slept. Jonah was their shield as he growled at me in a warning. Any step further and they will probably rip me to shreds.

Thanks to Michael. They probably won't let her near me again. I shifted and stood before them and bowed my head in submission. Jonah stepped back and sat next to his brother.

"We left her in your care. Now she's hurt and won't tell us a thing," Noah grounded out.

So I guess anger is the key mood today.

"I don't know what really happened. All I do know is...." I started to say.

How do I tell them that my brother marked then rejected their only sister?

Letting out a shaky breath, I looked at the trio. They were awfully close as siblings. Unlike my siblings and me, I envied them for that. It's better to tell them now before the pack or Emma tells them. By now, the older heads in the pack may feel the shift in the Alpha family. The welcoming of the new Luna.

"She found her mate," I said.

They both tensed. Noah looked down at his sister then brushed the hair away from her neck. I heard him mutter a curse when he saw the mark of Dark Moon on her neck, worse yet the two stars above the darkened moon. By that mark, they will know who is her mate.

Jonah's growl was feral and loud, frightened birds flew out of the trees above us, the woods became eerily quiet.

"Your brother marked her?" Noah shouted, his eyes darkening. Emma whimpered in her sleep and clutched onto him tighter.

He looked down at her frowning then looked at his brother. Jonah's hackles rose, his eyes were dark with pure anger. His steps were menacing towards me.

I fell back while trying to get as far away from the deadly looking twin. He snapped at me, my wolf, and I knew we couldn't take him down so we submitted to him. He bared his sharp canines in front of my face, gave two warning barks with a low growl, between which I knew meant 'not to interfere', then ran off in the direction where I came from.

Noah stood up securing Emma closer to him he said in a cold voice which sent chills through my body, "Your brother just hurt the wrong sister," He turned to return to the house and I obediently followed in wolf form.

He placed her on the sofa in the lounge, placing a kiss on her head. I stayed with her as he left with his wolf surfacing.

I felt no guilt in what was about to happen to Michael because I would have done the same for Madison.

That's what family is.

Love and protection.