: I won't mark you

Sunlight filtering into the room the next morning roused Aurora from her deep slumber.

Her entire body ached badly, and the throbbing between her thighs was unbearable. Groaning softly, she sat up on the bed and stared at the stained sheets on the floor.

After crying her heart out the previous night, she had washed herself in the bathroom and removed the soiled sheets. She was still dressed in her Jean and blouse of the previous day.

Memories of what occurred between her and Bishop the previous night came back to her and she remembered the words he told her.

Not wanting it to spoil her mood, she blocked out the thought. It was another day. Maybe she would be able to get closer to Bishop and make him realize that the mate bond was a beautiful thing. He didn't have to be a slave to it.

A knock on the door made her jerk and she sat up further on the bed, hoping it was Bishop.

"Come in." She called out softly.

The door opened and two maids walked in. One held a bucket and a rag, while the other held clean clothes and underwear.

"Miss Rose," One of the maids spoke, her voice crisp and sharp. "The Alpha wants you to change into these and meet him in the dining hall."

"Thank you." Aurora nodded politely, taking the clothes out of the maid's outstretched arms.

The other maid walked towards the sheets and lifted them. She gasped when her gaze fell on the bloodstain.

"Is... is that blood?" The first maid asked, her nose wrinkling with distaste.

Aurora blushed deeply, feeling embarrassed. She knew instantly that the maids knew what had transpired. The way they stared at her said it all. Their mocking gazes judged her.

Looking away from them, Aurora walked into the bathroom to wash herself. Soon she would be Luna of the pack, she thought. And those maids would definitely plead for her forgiveness.

...

An hour later, she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a pretty white dress. It was exactly her size and she was pleased that Bishop knew the exact size she was.

The room was empty, but she noticed that the sheets and duvet had been changed.

She walked towards the door and grasped the handle, taking a deep breath. It was time to meet Bishop and hear what he had to say.

They would have a quiet breakfast, and he would ask for her forgiveness.

Of course she would forgive him. He was her mate, and she was already falling in love with him.

Smiling shyly, she opened the door and stepped out. There was a short corridor that led to a grand flight of stairs, and she began to descend it slowly.

The moment she stepped into the dining hall, she wished she had never left her room.

Bishop wasn't alone. There were at least five other people seated around the table, having breakfast.

Bishop sat at the head of the table, an amused smile on his face. On his right side, a man with thick curly locks of dark hair sat silently, eating slowly. His hair was so thick and full that it grazed his perfectly arched brows. His head was turned away so Aurora couldn't see his face clearly.

But that wasn't what bothered her.

On Bishop's left side, a pretty red haired woman sat, speaking in a high pitched voice. Bishop seemed amused by what she said because he kept smiling at her.

The woman had freckles scattered over her nose. Her eyes were light green, and it reminded Aurora of a garden snake. The woman had her hands wrapped tightly around Bishop as she chatted, and occasionally, she would take a bite out of whatever food Bishop placed in her mouth.

They looked so intimate, like the perfect couple.

Aurora suddenly felt self conscious. She couldn't stand another woman touching her mate. As she made up her mind to return, Bishop raised his head and spotted her.

"Rose." He called out to her, his voice formal as usual. "Join us."

Unable to disobey her Alpha, Aurora walked towards the table with trembling feet.

"Good morning, Alpha." She bowed her head slightly.

The dining hall fell silent as the red head ceased her incessant chattering. Only the clink of cutleries scraping against plates could be heard. Aurora noticed that the three other men who sat at the table didn't pay her the slightest attention.

It was obvious that they were Bishop's beta, gamma, and delta. His trusted warriors.

"Sit down." Bishop's voice jarred her back to the present.

Obediently, she slid into the chair beside the other woman and slowly served some food into her dish.

Her eyes remained lowered. She felt so exposed that she would have preferred to eat in her room.

As she ate, Aurora could feel the other woman glaring at her occasionally. She didn't know why, nor did she understand why this woman was latching unto her mate.

After the maids cleared the table, Bishop cleared his throat and began.

"Rose, there are a few things I want you to know before I introduce you to the pack." He said. While he talked, his hands gently stroked the arms of the woman who was still latched unto him.

Aurora noticed it and quickly averted her eyes. Her heart was pounding fast within her again and she didn't know what to expect.

"Like I told you last night, I don't want a mate. And I mean it." Bishop continued. "I despise the mate bond and I will not be a slave to it. But I can't reject you, because I know it will hurt you greatly. It wasn't your fault you were mated to me."

Aurora tried to control her breathing as she listened.

"So you will only be my mate in name, but not my Luna." Bishop broke the news to her. "I won't mark you. You will live in my home."

"I don't understand..." Aurora whispered, trying hard to hold back her tears.

"Amelia is the woman I love." Bishop continued heartlessly, gesturing to the woman beside him. "She has my heart, and she is going to be my Luna. So I want you to respect her as you would respect me."

Despite her efforts, Aurora's tears spilled down. She wiped it quickly, not wanting the other shifters to think she was weak.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered. How could she stay in the same home with her mate, knowing fully well that he loved another woman?

Before Bishop could reply, Amelia cut in. "Baby, you're the Alpha." She purred softly. "You shouldn't let lowly shifters challenge your decision, let alone one without a wolf. Whatever you say should be obeyed."

Bishop smiled at her, and when he turned his attention back to Aurora, the smile disappeared.

"This discussion is closed." He said sharply. "I will intriduce you to the pack as my mate, but not my Luna."

Suddenly the man with curly hair pushed back his seat and stood up.

"Is everything okay, Alpha?" Bishop asked, getting up quickly. His eyes were filled with respect and fear for his guest.

The man with curly hair appeared furious, like something had pissed him off. Without giving Bishop a reply, he stormed out of the dining hall.

"I wonder what ticked him off" Amelia whispered, her lime green eyes following the man until he was out of sight.

Aurora on the other hand didn't have time to wonder why Bishop addressed the other man as 'Alpha'. Her tears were threatening to flood out.

"Excuse me, Alpha." She said and fled back to her room.

...

After crying for hours, Aurora lay spent on the bed, her eyes red and puffy from weeping.

Where could she go? She had no family. She would rather die than go back to her step-aunt.

Her head turned weakly towards the side when someone opened the door and stepped in.

It was Amelia.

Aurora got up, wiping her eyes as the woman stood before her.

"Still crying?" Amelia asked scornfully. "You know, one would think Bishop would have chosen you because you're pretty enough to look at. Too bad looks aren't enough. You're a worthless wolfless bitch, and I wish Bishop would reject you and banish you from the pack."

Aurora felt her blood boil with rage, but she remained silent. She didn't want to give Amelia the satisfaction of riling her up.

But Amelia had other plans.

She suddenly moved towards Aurora and slapped her unexpectedly. Losing her temper, Aurora attacked her, scratching at her face until blood flowed.

Amelia's screams of pain echoed through the house.

And when Bishop burst into the room, he saw Aurora standing over Amelia, one hand wrapped around her throat.

: I reject you

Slap!

The harsh sound of a slap echoed round the room and Aurora's head snapped back with the force of it.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Bishop roared, his eyes black and furious. "HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON AMELIA?"

Another slap landed on her face and her lip split. She collapsed to the floor, blinded momentarily. Tears burned behind her closed eyelids and she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She didn't deserve what she was getting.

From where she stood, Amelia grinned maliciously. Her plans had worked perfectly well. All that was left was for Bishop to reject Aurora.

But Bishop didn't do anything of the sort. Instead, he called for his guards, his voice loud and powerful.

Two of the warriors rushed into the room and bowed before him.

"Lock her up in the dungeon. And starve her!" Bishop ordered, his eyes glaring at Aurora. "If she is to remain in my home, she must learn from her mistakes."

The guards dragged an almost unconscious Aurora away towards the dungeons.

After they were gone, Bishop took Amelia into his arms and gently wiped the blood off her face. Her wounds were healed already, as werewolves had fast healing abilities.

"Are you alright, love?" He asked worriedly.

Amelia played her part well, nodding piteously. "I'm fine. You came just in time. I was so scared..."

"Why did you approach her?" Bishop asked, taking her out of the room.

"I just wanted to let her know we could be friends." Amelia lied. "I didn't want her to feel alone. Even if she won't be your Luna, she could use a friend. I had no idea she would attack me. I guess she hates me for being with you."

"Don't say such things Amelia." Bishop stopped in the hallway and placed his hands on her slender waist. "You're the only one I love, and nothing can change that. Not even the mate bond. If Rose can't accept that, I don't care."

He lowered his head and kissed her, his hands moving down to cup her buttocks and press her against him.

"But... Baby..." Amelia moaned, biting her lips as Bishop kissed down her throat. "I don't feel safe with her here with us. Why don't you just reject her? She's useless to you anyway. I could be your second chance mate."

Bishop didn't answer. Instead, he lifted her and carried her back into Aurora's room. There he undressed her and bent her over the bed, taking her from behind.

Mercilessly, he slammed into her, her cries of pleasure bouncing off the walls of the room until they both soared over the clouds of repeated orgasms.

...

Aurora remained in the dungeon till dusk, lying in the same position she had been ever since the warriors pushed her into the cell.

The smell of death and decayed flesh filled the air. The walls of the dungeon were old and covered with dead leaves. Bones littered the floor, as if prisoners had been left to die in there and rot.

However, Aurora didn't care for any of that. As she lay there, she wept, questioning the moon goddess for pairing her with a monster like Bishop Dawson.

It would have been better if she had been mateless as well as wolfless. Why did the moon goddess have to ruin her life?

Hours went past until the creaking sound of gates swinging open caught her attention. She raised her head weakly, watching as two different guards unlocked the cell and dragged her outside.

When they shoved her to the ground in front of Bishop's home, she realized that the entire pack members had been summoned.

There was a large crowd gathered in front of his mansion, and when she was brought in, the whispers began.

Aurora heard words like, 'wolfless', 'omega', 'orphan', 'worthless', 'badluck' and so many others as the people regarded her with scorn. Estella and her three friends were among the crowd, glaring at her hatefully.

No one had ever really liked her. She had been shunned by jealous rivals because of her great beauty.

It was only Penelope that had remained her friend.

Just then, she heard Penelope call out to her. Her voice was filled with so much pain and sadness.

Aurora weakly raised her head and stared in the direction of her friend's voice. She saw Penelope standing beside her parents. The latter wanted to run towards her, but she was held back.

Gradually, the whispers decreased as Bishop stepped out, Amelia beside him as usual. Soon there was complete silence.

"Members of Silver Dawn Pack," He began. "You have all been summoned here for a reason. As you all know, the Alpha King arrived at our pack few days ago, and as soon as alliances are formed, he will return to the lycan kingdom."

There were a few murmurs and whispers and silence reigned again.

"But then, a night ago, I found my mate. Rose Thompson." Bishop continued coldly. "You all know how I feel about the mate bond. I despise it. Hence, Rose will not be my Luna. Earlier today, she commited a grave offense by attacking the woman I love, your future Luna."

He gestured to the guards to lift Aurora up. One pulled her hair and yanked her head backwards, so her face could be seen.

Aurora winced inwardly from the pain, but she kept a straight face. There were no tears this time.

"Rose, before the entire members of this pack, you will go on your knees and plead for forgiveness from your future Luna." Bishop stated icily. "Only then will I consider giving you a mild punishment."

Aurora smiled, a small smile devoid of any emotion. She would rather die.

Her eyes hardened and her temper flaired. She spat suddenly at Bishop. "You challenge the moon goddess so boldly, treating the mate she has chosen for you this way. I will rather die that apologize to that witch you call your Luna."

The crowd let out a loud gasp at Aurora's defiance.

Bishop's anger mounted and he smacked the side of her head with his fist.

Aurora felt her body slump and her head slammed on the ground. Her vision blurred and she was on the verge of passing out, but the warriors dragged her to her feet again.

The moment Bishop started speaking again, her eyes flew open with fright.

"I, Alpha Bishop Dawson, reject you worthless she-wolf, Rose Thompson as my fated mate and Luna. And from this moment, I banish you from the Silver Dawn Pack."

Aurora felt her heart cave in as colour drained from her face. The harsh words struck her like daggers, echoing painfully in her ears.

She couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening.

She looked up at Bishop, her eyes pleading with him to take it back.

He didn't. All she could see in his dark gaze was disgust. Pure disgust, the kind she hadn't seen before.

Hardening her heart, she parted her lips and spoke.

"I, Aurora Rose Thompson, accept your rejection." She said, her voice bitter. "But I curse you, Bishop Dawson. I curse you on this day. This pain you have caused me will come back to you a thousand fold..."

"Silence her!" Alpha Bishop snapped at the warriors holding her.

"ENOUGH!" A powerful voice thundered suddenly, instilling fear in the crowd.

Aurora raised her head weakly and her gaze connected with intense golden eyes.

They were the same eyes she had seen the night she was almost attacked by that lycan.

It was Bishop's important guest, the Alpha King.

: Release her

"ENOUGH!" A powerful voice thundered suddenly, instilling fear in the crowd.

The entire shifters fell into a deathly silence the moment Alpha King Henry stepped out from the mansion.

Aurora raised her head weakly and her gaze connected with intense golden eyes, the same eyes she had seen the night she was almost attacked by that lycan.

She couldn't be mistaken. Although she hadn't seen his face that night, but his eyes... she knew she couldn't be wrong.

Bishop spoke of an important guest earlier. Could it be that this man with the hypnotic eyes was the Alpha King?

She watched him walk towards her. The crowd moved back, fear and respect visible in their eyes. Even Bishop stepped aside, his head bowed slightly.

Henry stopped before the guards holding Aurora, his gaze dark and terrifying.

"Release her." His voice sounded calm, too calm, but everyone knew it was the calm before the storm.

The guards promptly let go of Aurora, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Alpha Henry," Bishop ventured out, his head still bowed with respect. "I apologize if this scene has caused some disturbance to you. I assure you, this girl will be dealt with..."

"You rejected her, did you not?" Henry brutally cut him short. His gaze was still pinned on Aurora who had began to shiver on the ground.

When Bishop didn't give him a reply quickly enough, he turned and glared at him.

"Did you not?"

"Yes, Alpha. I did reject her." Bishop answered quickly. "But it was in a moment of anger. I surely didn't mean to..."

Besides him, Amelia looked on in shock and annoyance. She didn't understand why Bishop would say something like that.

"Save your breath." Henry turned away again. "You've made it clear to these people, that the woman you plan to marry is the one beside you." He didn't even spare a single glance at Amelia as he spoke.

"Yes Alpha." Bishop nodded.

"Very well." Henry made up his mind. "From this moment, the girl is no longer a member of your pack. She will return with me to Ashidore."

"But Alpha..." Bishop tried to protest, but Henry had already walked away, leaving everyone staring after him.

Suddenly annoyed at the turn of events, Bishop ordered his beta and gamma to take Aurora away and prepare her to leave with Alpha King Henry.

The other shifters who had hoped for Aurora to be punished severely, left in disappointment. They couldn't fathom why the Alpha King would spare a worthless omega like Aurora.

Amelia was beyond livid. Though she loved Bishop, but her eyes had been set on Alpha King Henry for a while. The only reason why she never acted on her obsession for him was because of the secrets shrouding him.

Henry never spared anyone, and certainly not an omega. Why did he suddenly show an interest in Aurora? It disturbed her greatly and she complained to Bishop.

"I don't understand why he wants to take her with him." She snarled angrily. "The bitch clearly disrespected you. She should be punished here, and not spared. Talk to the Alpha, he needs to understand that we have our ways of doing things here..."

"Shut up Amelia!" Bishop snapped at her. "How dare you speak about the Alpha King in that manner?"

"But..."

"It seems you don't really know who Alpha Henry is." Bishop shut her up again. "He's the Supreme Alpha, Alpha King of all Alphas. I am merely a pawn beneath him. I serve him, and so do the other shifters. Whatever his orders are, we follow it without complaint. So I would advise you to watch your mouth and watch the way you speak about him!"

He pushed her out of his way and hurried after Alpha Henry.

While all these were happening, Aurora couldn't hear a word of what was being said. There was a loud persistent ringing in her ears, and her head felt like it was splitting in two.

When she managed to crack open her eyelids, her vision was blurry. Black spots danced before her eyes and she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

...

When Aurora opened her eyes again, she was no longer sprawled on the ground in front of Bishop's mansion. She was in a strange moving vehicle.

She tried to sit up but her entire body exploded with pain. Groaning softly, she lay back down and shut her eyes.

Suddenly a deep voice broke the silence.

"Hang in there," the voice said. "We will arrive soon."

Aurora tried to open her eyes, to see the owner of the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, and she tried to recall where she had heard the voice before.

But her head was spinning again and the persistent ringing was back. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyelids and soon, she slipped into unconsciousness.

Henry watched as she passed out again. He knew there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. She would just have to hang in there, like he told her, until they arrived at Ashidore, the Lycan Kingdom.

He leaned back against the luxurious leather seats and let out a deep sigh. They were inside a fancy carriage, pulled by six large vicious wolves. The distance between Ashidore and Silver Dawn pack was three days ride and Henry wanted to return as quickly as possible.

As the carriage sped on, his mind went back to the moment he first saw Aurora.

It was that night when he had been hunting. Her scent had slammed into him like the sweetest of nectar, and the urge to have her had been so strong.

But when he realized that she was Bishop's mate, he killed whatever urge he had. He never messed with another man's mate. Women didn't appeal to him, unless he wanted to bed them. He discarded them the moment his pleasure ended.

So why did Aurora appeal to him? During breakfast the previous day, why had he been so furious when Bishop made it clear that he didn't want her? And why had he stepped in to save her when Bishop banished her?

He hated feeling this way. He hated the flutter he felt in his heart whenever he started at her. Her hair, like the finest of golden silk, made his fingers itch to touch them. Her bewitching emerald eyes enthralled him. Her scent threatened to make him go insane.

Why was he feeling this way, after more than a hundred years of being without a mate?

There was only one way to stop those strange feelings. He needed to distance himself from Aurora. He had done her a great deed by saving her from Bishop's banishment.

Now he had to push her away again. The moment they get to Ashidore, he would send her away to another part of the kingdom, where he would never cross paths with her again.

He couldn't make the mistake of falling for her, especially when she was an omega. The secrets he harbored couldn't be revealed.

He was doomed to be alone for eternity, and he planned to keep it that way.

But when his gaze fell on Aurora again, the flutter in his heart returned.

And he hated himself for it.