Traded

Chapter 20

*Colette POV

I cradle my hand, the skin still stinging where I slapped Grady and told him to leave. He has put me in an impossible situation, one that has the potential to ruin everything I thought I was building here with Merikh. Grady thinking he could just waltz in here and convince me to run away with him is all the proof I need to know he is not the one for me. All I ever wanted was to be someone’s first choice.

And with Merikh, I am. Hell; he could choose anyone in the entire pack and he wanted me. Zero hesitation. One little lie and Grady was rejecting me without hesitation. He did it with tears, but even if he hadn’t rejected me, I knew I would never be first. As a friend, that’s okay, I can understand that, but as a mate? No.

And for him to show up here, after everything, after weeks of him being with Leslie. He had a lot of nerve to sneak into my pack and try to convince me to run away with him. Especially since it is only after learning that the baby is likely not his that he came for me. If it weren’t for that fact, he wouldn’t be here. He is here because Leslie is tired of him and let him loose.

So, of course, when the asshole kissed me, I had no choice but to gather my brains and smack the shit out of him. But now that I see Merikh, the way he is watching me, like he knows something is wrong…I can’t tell him. As mad as I am with Grady. No matter how hard I want to hit him again. Merikh warned me the day he chose me. He warned me he would kill Grady, and I believe wholeheartedly that he will.

So as much as it hurts, I have to keep this impromptu meeting a secret, until I know Grady is gone safely from pack grounds. Until I feel he is far enough away that I can calm Merikh down and explain what happened and how I sent him with a firm no. I need Merikh to know, and believe I choose him the way he chose me. No hesitation. No one who could change that.

“You should head to find some dinner,” Merikh says, his face stoic and unreadable. “It’s already late.”

“I thought we would eat together-”

“You thought wrong.” He snaps and I rear back, surprised by his demeanor.

“Oh…It’s just that…Earlier you said we would-,”

“I’m sorry,” He exhales, cutting me off. “There is a lot to attend to for tomorrow, and I still have to figure out who the other traitor is.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“The other traitor? There is more than one?” I ask and he scoffs, shaking his head.

“Seems I am up to my neck in them lately.” He mutters. “I will see you tomorrow for the official introduction to

the pack.”

“Oh, I see.” I sigh, not even trying to veil my disappointment, but he seems to be lost in his thoughts again. “Then I’ll just…go.”

I

Merikh doesn’t fight me on it and my chest aches as I wander away from him, hating how he doesn’t even look at me once. I should go back and tell him. Shit, I know I should have told him right out the gate about Grady… But that fear of losing Grady because of a jealous mate makes me feel sick. I will tell Merikh. Just not right now, but when the time is right and I know Grady is safe from his reach.

I can’t even remember how I made it back to my room, my mind moving a million miles a minute and my emotions completely wrecked. Here I thought all this time I loved Grady, that I had felt that earth shattering, death defying love.

Yet when that bond broke, when I left with Merikh and felt what it was like to be treated like more than a maid. More than someone who could never have anything.did I know what love was? Was it just me feeling a pull to him because of the mate bond? The more I think back, the more I realize, maybe I didn’t know what actual love

was?

“You are back,” Penny says, sounding relieved as she peeks around the bedroom door. I give her a strange look as she pushes into the room, closing the door behind her.

“Uh…yeah…”

“It’s just that Percy mind linked me…he said that you may have…had a rough walk. “

My stomach drops and I can feel my face grow pale. There is no looking her in the eyes. Is that what Merikh meant by not being alone? Does he know too? All the terrible ways he could kill Grady come flooding into my mind and bile rises in my throat. Holy shit, did I get Grady killed?

“D–did Percy…say anything else?” I ask, finally lifting my eyes to meet hers. Penny watches me for a moment. before nodding her head.

“Are you okay?” She whispers as tears dot my eyes.

Emergency calls only usu

“Why the hell did he come here?” I ask her softly as tears fall from my eyes. A frustrated groan tumbles from my lips as I move to the bed to sit. Everything feels wrong.

“Well, what did he want?” Penny asks, leaning on the dresser across from me.

“He wanted me to run away with him,” I scoff, wiping at my eyes annoyed. “He thought he was coming to save me from the big bad alpha of death.”

“Do you need saving?” Penny asks.

At first I think she is joking, but the longer I watch her, the more I realize she is serious. Does she think I am here because Merikh is forcing me? That I would truly run just because an opportunity arises?

“No, and I sure as shit don’t want it.” I say honestly.

“And did you tell him that?”

“Yes! I told him to leave, and then we argued and he got mad at me and he…” I pause, remembering the moment his lips hit mine. Cracked and weirdly wet. The lips I once had longed for felt wrong, gross against my skin.

“He what?” Penny’s voice rises as she stands up straight, ready to go on the attack, murder written all over her face. “Did he hurt you? Why didn’t Percy jump in?”

“He kissed me,” I whimper, pushing my hands into my hair, afraid to look at her. What if she hates me after this?

‘Oh, oh shit…” she murmurs.

Penny, I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do and for a second I just stood there. Then I realized what was happening, and I slapped him.” I rush out, the memory still too fresh.

“Wait, you slapped him?” Penny asks, sounding surprised. “You didn’t kiss him back?”

“Of course I didn’t kiss him back,” I snap at her, a little offended.

“Well, that is good.” She says, with a relieved chuckle as she plops down next to me.

“I don’t know what to do, Penny.” I groan, covering my face with my hands. How does someone go from no one wanting you to two men?

Emergency calls only MON

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18:16

“What do you mean? You aren’t planning to leave, are you?” Her voice trembles slightly and I frown at her.

“Seriously? Do you really think I would leave?” I ask. She shrugs.

“You are my Luna, and I’d consider you a friend but I’ve only known you three weeks…” She reminds me with a half frown. Penny has a point, but it doesn’t change things. Three weeks may seem like nothing, but it feels like

so much more.

“I care about Merikh,” I mutter, my cheeks pink. “I like him, and I asked him to mark me…”

“Then what are you going on about not knowing what to do?” Penny’s brows knit together in confusion.

“When do I tell Merikh?”

“Tell him? About your ex–mate kissing you?” She laughs sardonically.

“Yes,” I say, furrowing my brows.

“Oof. That I don’t know.” She blows out a huff of air, looking as perplexed as I feel. “If it were me, I wouldn’t…”

“I need to be honest with him, and I want to tell him, but…he told me before he would kill Grady…I can’t imagine what he’d do to him now…” I admit and she winces, looking away.

“Won’t be pretty,” she sighs heavily. “But the truth is important, so I would say sooner rather than later.”

“You don’t think Merikh would actually kill Grady, do you? If I told him?”

“Hell yeah he would. Like, without a second thought.” She says.

“So I will tell him tomorrow then.” I say with conviction, more trying to convince myself. “I can’t be responsible for Grady’s death. There is no world in which I could ever forgive myself for that.”

“Well, I am going to get back to planning your big day tomorrow.” Penny says standing abruptly and rushing to the door. My mouth falls open at how fast her demeanor changes. I just poured my heart out to her, confessed something I didn’t think I could tell anyone, and she is…just running off? Just like that?

My gut is telling me something is off, that I need to make sure this stays a secret even though I know she is my gamma and is loyal to me. I feel the need to ensure she says nothing to Merikh or even Hayes.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone what I told you.” I say. I watch her face turn serious and her eyes meet mine. But she bows, accepting my command.

“Yes, Luna Letty.” She looks uncomfortable, but she slaps on a smile and shoots me a wink, making me feel a little more at ease as she spins and walks out the door..

After a few moments of standing in silence, I make my way to the bathroom, recognizing how badly I need to clean myself up after my encounter. The water pounds into the empty shower as it heats, and I stare, wishing it was at a bath rather than a shower. But I can’t imagine shaving while sitting in a tub is all that easy. And I don’t want to miss a single spot.

Tomorrow won’t just be the day I become Luna, it will be the first day of the rest of my life. Tomorrow I will become Merikh’s full mate. My cheeks heat at the thought of tomorrow night and how the marking will go. Gone are the problems of today, replaced by a pure white blossom of hope in my chest. Hope for a fruitful future, one full of love and a mate who wants me. One where tomorrow I give every part of me to someone who wants every piece of me.