Chapter 6 - Acceptance

Stella snarled at me, and I took a defensive stance. No matter training or what, Stella will never leave the opportunity to kill me or injure me seriously... {I don't think I am also letting this opportunity go like that}

"Aadhya," suddenly Ethan came between us, looking directly at me. He is just wearing his shorts, and his perfectly sculpted naked torso is on full display. He is dripping with sweat, and his ash blonde hairs are sticking to his forehead... {can a human eat a wolf alive?} ... I don't know where these thoughts came from, but I shook my head to remove these thoughts. I looked at him and found him smirking at me... {it seemed like he caught me staring at him} ... "in dad's office now," he said and looked at Stella's wolf, who was not looking happy. Ethan let a sexy chuckle out and walked towards Stella and hugged her tight while her fur made contact with his naked form... {half naked...}

"Dad has assigned me an important work, baby girl, and I have to interrogate this weirdo for that... sorry for ruining your fun," he whispered in her ear. I can literally give anything to anyone who can explain to me how in this hell a human like me can hear his words from afar. I wanted to hear more, but their close proximity was breaking my heart, so I turned and walked inside the pack house towards Alpha Aiden's office. I knocked on the door and waited... {I hope that everything goes well}

"No one is inside" I heard Ethan's voice from behind me, so I gave him a side to enter the room. He looked at me with weird expressions and took a few deep breaths. After sniffing a few more times, a few creases appeared on his forehead, and he shook his head in irritation. When he crossed me, our hands rubbed with each other, and this was enough to quicken my breaths and heartbeats. I instantly stepped backward and heard a growl from him while he entered the office. I followed him inside, and he closed the door behind me. I went towards the table and took a chair while he was still standing at the door. I turned the chair and took a seat. Now I am facing him.

"Dad told me you killed a vampire," he said, and I tried to read anything from his expressions but could not do so.

"Yes," I kept my reply short.

"What were you doing in the arsenal when you should have been in the safe house?" he asked me again in the same tone... {it is not a surprise question. He never thought of me as someone who has the guts to even think about fighting someone}

"Layla and I were searching for Beth, Layla found her in the arsenal, and I went there for them. When I entered, that vampire was about to snap Layla's neck. So, I did what I thought was best," I explained to him, and I just wanted to exit this place. This mate bond is clearly having stupid effects on me... {he should wear a shirt or something}.

He started taking steps toward me, and I tried to look not affected by it. "You wanted to say that a human like you entered the arsenal and went unnoticed by a vampire who has the amazing smelling capacity, and that's not all; you beheaded him that easily" he put his hands on either side of the chair handles and leaned so that we were face to face with each other... "I should say either that vampire was a very weak one, or you are a fascinating storyteller," he said while his gaze was fixed on my lips. I can feel his body heat from his naked torso, which is inches apart from me, and his manly scent is making my head dizzy. "Tell me the truth, aadhya," he whispered huskily, and I shivered.

"I-I a" I tried to say something, but my mind and eyes were only focused on his lips... {How will it feel if these pink lips will cover mine?} ... I have to move forward a little, and our lips will meet. I didn't know what I was doing when I heard a voice... "AAadhyaaa" is the same emotional and cracked voice I heard in my dream yesterday. This is enough to break the trance the mate bond created around us.

I pushed Ethan backward and stood in my place. My heart is pounding wildly in my chest, and my breaths are labored. I looked at Ethan, and he was also breathing heavily. For a few minutes, none of us did or said anything. I recalled everything that happened a few minutes ago, and again, my heart started beating wildly, but this time it was because of anger. I looked at Ethan, who looked immensely irritated and angry with himself... {it seems like I am not the only one affected by mate bond. But the question is, do I really want a bond that is only making me weak and angry?} ...

"I don't have any scent," I told him, and his head jerked towards me "from the day I was born, I never had any scent. The lavender scent that you all consider mine is not mine. It was a scent mom gave me to apply every day so I would not be treated as an outcast. Few of my knowns, Alpha and Luna, know about this. When I killed that vampire, I was not wearing my scent," I told him the truth and took a deep breath. "Yesterday, I don't know how you three were able to smell my scent, but as soon as we exited the pack house, it was gone again."

When I felt wetness on my cheeks, I realized that I was crying. I wouldn't say I like to cry in front of anyone, but crying in front of him feels right... {fuck this stupid mate bond} ... I wanted to tell him everything today. The Moon goddess made him my mate, so with it, she also gave him the right to know everything about me. "I never wanted to be an outcast. I also wanted to be accepted... I also wanted to be loved" I wanted to continue, but a sob escaped through my lips, and I sat on the chair. He is looking at me with a pained expression. I know his wolf wanted to comfort me, but he is stopping himself. He took a deep breath, came towards me, and sat on the chair beside me while maintaining a proper gap between us.

"Some things are not in our control, addy, they just happen, and we have to transform our lives according to that" I did not expect that. Ethan and me having a decent conversation. That sounds like a myth already... {but he did call me addy}. After ten years, he suddenly remembered that I was addy and not some weirdo. "No matter how much my wolf wants you, he also knows we can't take you as our luna. His attraction to you is only because of mate bond and nothing else," he said, and I looked into his eyes.

For the first time in these last ten years, he is not mocking me, not throwing insults at me, but still, the sincerity of his words is piercing my heart... {but can I contradict him? Do I have any counterstatement to tell him that he is wrong? Is he wrong? he is right. He is never attracted to me, and no matter how much I hated that word 'weirdo,' that's the truth. I am different from anyone else. I neither have the qualities of humans nor that of werewolves. I can't say that Stella came between us, she was always there with him for the whole three years, and just because the moon goddess wanted to have a good laugh by mating me with him, I can't deny that he is nothing but serious about Stella. He is not a manwhore, who sleeps with every girl. He is only with Stella and no one else.}

I looked at him, and he was still looking at me in pain. I wiped my tears and gave him a genuine smile; he looked as if he melted with my one look. "I never wanted you as my mate Ethan because I know that you will never love me" he is not stopping himself from expressing anything right now because I can read his expressions very clearly, and right now, my words shocked him "and still when I found out that you were my mate I was beyond happy, and this is not because of any stupid alpha thing or like that. You were my friend once, so I believe that you have known that little about me." I smiled, and a similar smile came on his face. Maybe he still remembers our childhood time together.

"Finding a mate is a potent indication for me that I am not an outcast or weirdo. I felt a little feeling of belonging and acceptance. So, I can't deny that your rejection is a cruel blow for me" now, he looked away from me and clenched his jaw. "I was always afraid that one day Layla and matt would find their mates and leave me alone here at the place where no one wanted to accept me" I didn't look at him, but I could feel his gaze on me. "I have tried to blend in with people as much as possible because I don't want to be an outcast, but nothing helped, but now I think people are not going to change. They will always be the same as they are right now. So, from now I will do everything that I want. I don't want any feeling of belonging. If they want to call me names or treat me differently, I will not prove them wrong now..." I got up from the chair and took a few steps away from him, and confused expressions crossed his handsome face.

"I AADHYA Brown, daughter of late Daniel and Rose brown of blue moon pack, accept the rejection of Ethan smith as his mate and luna of blue moon pack" as soon as these words escaped my lips, Ethan fell to the ground and screamed in pain while I clutched my chest. I also sat on the floor as the pain was slowly becoming unbearable. I gasped for breath while trying to stop my pain. After a few minutes of insufferable pain, it started to fade away. I looked around and found Ethan still screaming and thrashing. I crawled towards him and took his hand in mine. Again, sparks traveled down our bodies, and the overwhelming urge to hug him surrounded me, but I restrained myself from doing so. He is still on the ground but is not screaming anymore, ..{so I am guessing mate bond still has effect} ... I don't know how long we sat there holding each other's hand, but I left his hand cautiously when my mobile rang in my pocket.

"Hello"

"Tell us that he has not done anything to make us kill him," I heard Layla's voice from the other side.

"I will be in my room within 5 minutes," I told her, and she cut the call... {now I have to give them complete details} ...

I got up from my place and looked at Ethan, who was looking crestfallen. "it's good to have a decent conversation with you, Ethan," I said, and without waiting for his response, I went to my room. As soon as I entered, I met with a furious Layla and matt.

"She had been crying," Layla roared, but I burst the bubble before she assumed something terrible.

"I accepted his rejection" as soon as these words left my lips, they froze in their places.

"You accepted his r-re-reje--" Layla did not even be able to say the word and shuddered.

"But-" Matt wanted to say something, but he finally shook his head and slumped on the bed in defeat. I already saw that shine in their eyes when I told them I had found my mate yesterday. Whether Ethan rejected me or not, they still have that small hope in them that he will take his rejection back and accept me as his mate, but when I have accepted his rejection, there is no chance of a U-turn.

Matt stood from the bed and hugged me while Layla was still trying to gather her thoughts. "Are you alright, addy?" he asked me, and I tightened my hold around him.

"No," I accepted, and he nodded. "But I will be alright. I wanted to ask something from you," I told them, and they hummed. "Even after accepting his rejection when I touched him, I again felt the sparks," I told them, and Matt took a deep breath.

"Mate bond can only break when your partner is dead, addy. No alpha, even not the alpha king, is strong enough to break the mate bond," he said, and I huffed in irritation.

"Then what does that stupid rejection is all about?"

This time Layla stood from her place and put her hands on my shoulders "if you maintain distance from Ethan, then it will fade away slowly. I don't know how much slowly, but I know that distance helps if you want to stop mate bond from growing or, in your case, fading after rejection," she explained sadly. "He took your acceptance easily?" she asked me, and I shook my head.

"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked me and Layla looked for any injuries.

"Mate bond will never allow him to hurt me physically," I told them, and they nodded slowly, "but yes, it is painful for both of us... and this time more for him."

"Good, he deserves that after what he did," Layla said, and Matt nodded in her support.

"No one deserves to go through this pain, Layla," I told her and sat on my bed, "and we all knew he loves Stella."

"If moon goddess has paired you with him, it means you are the best match for him," matt contradicted, "and you are his mate addy. He has no option but to fall in love with you."

"Loving Stella is his choice while loving me was more like an obligation, and believe me, I will prefer to live alone rather than living with someone who is only with me due to an obligation," I explained to them, and a burdened expression crossed Layla's face.

"I don't know what it is, addy. You are not wrong, but what he did is also not right," she said, and I nodded.

Matt came towards me and sat on the ground "don't be sad, addy, my threesome offer would always be valid for you till lifetime," he said in full sincerity, and I punched him hard on his shoulder while Layla laughed loudly. I tried to stop myself from laughing, but his expressions were so hilarious that I finally gave up and laughed out loud. We laughed for a few good minutes.

"Your brain is turning into 'lust gutter' day by day, matty," Layla told him and ruffled his hair. He glared at her and went in front of the dressing table and styled his hair.

"I can digest your lame jokes, but I will not accept any kind of stunt with my hair," he said while styling his hair. Layla rolled her eyes at his statement. "I am an unmated wolf in mating age. I always have to look good for my mate Layla" he said, and I smiled at his stupid antics.

Suddenly both of them stopped their bickering, and I looked at them, their eyes were unfocused, so I huffed and waited for them.

"Alpha called us to the training ground," Matt answered my questioning gaze.

"And it's something serious" Layla completed his sentence, and we ran downstairs. Almost everyone is gathered in the training ground, and a few are coming running just like us. We stood there and waited for the alpha to come while the Beta, gamma, and delta couple were already standing in front. After a few minutes, alpha and Luna came in front, with two other people who were not from our pack. I turned toward Matt and Layla to ask them if they knew who they were. Their eyes are shut, and they are sniffing the air as if their lives depend on it... {which is true} ... I rolled my eyes at my conscience but got shocked when I finally realized what it was. I looked at them with wide eyes and an open mouth when both uttered the same word together 'MATE.'