Viva Vindictus -- The Cliff

Chapter 1- Revenge, Sweet Sweet Revenge

"I said 'no', Kyran." I looked at my so-called mate as he knelt on the ground in front of me. I had been sitting contentedly on a park bench when he walked right up to me, interrupting my morning. Startling me, which made my claws appear before I controlled myself. It had been a year since I ran from him, the memory of seeing his bare ass over another female burned into my retinas.

My heart lurched with the sudden pain of remembering before I could stop it, before I could remember that I hardened my shattered heart because of this... man before me.

"Forgive me, please Ellis." He remained kneeling as he looked up at my face, like he was memorizing every feature. Like we hadn't been together for three years. Like he hadn't been cheating on me the whole time.

It was over. I rejected him, packed my things while I held onto my anger like a shield so I wouldn't break down in front of my cheating mate. I left ignoring his tears, and left without looking back- fighting my wolf who was heartbroken and wanted to see his face one last time.

Driving until I left the territory and our guards, driving for hours before I pulled over and fell apart, I let myself feel all the pain of separation and betrayal. The pain still clung to me like a second skin, but I wouldn't show my ex-mate that.

And then a few days ago I knew when his trackers found me, I could smell the 'pack' on them. I ignored them, I still had my strong Luna energy- even if I had no pack anymore.

Making my voice strong I bit out at him, "Kyran, if I had an affair back then with one of our pack warriors would you forgive me?" I looked him right in the eyes as his turned dark. "If I had slept with dozens of men right under your nose, would you want me back?"

Kyran remained silent at my questions and looked down at the ground. I sighed and continued trying to sound bored, god I needed to get away from him before my voice cracked, "It would make things easier if I came back, if I didn't value myself, if the entire pack didn't know what you were doing." I stood and stretched, ignoring him as I started to walk away.

I was fighting with my wolf not to want him anymore, she was practically dormant after we left but was now bursting with energy around her mate. 'No!' I internally yelled at her, showing her memory pictures of the she-wolf's bare ass on top of him, riding him, pleasuring him when it should have been me. I unconsciously put my hand over my chest to try to soothe the pain.

Nothing worked, nothing ever had.

But my wolf was so focused on the mate-bond and was frantically trying to get me to turn around. She accepted his apology and just wanted her mate. Desperately.

I heard rustling as my so-called mate stood up. "What can I do, Ellis? I've spent the last year making amends with the pack, I've helped every one of them and asked their forgiveness. They won't forgive me until you do, mate. My wolf howls for you each night as we sleep alone. He yips and tortures me every second my mate isn't beside me to lead the pack. The place next to me remains empty during meals, the pack members purposely set your place for every meal, reminding me how I messed up."

I know, I could hear our mate's lonely howl sometimes in the dead quiet of the long, lonely nights.

My mate followed me as I was proud of how my legs were steady as I walked down the path to my car, he continued to talk as I desperately tried to get my walls up around my heart. And not entirely succeeding and not wanting to hear him. When I finally got to my car I closed my eyes, the pain had slammed into me- hard. The soul crushing anguish of a bond being broken. When I first left I had cut and scratched the marks on my neck in a desperate attempt at severing our connection. But until he accepted the rejection we would still have a weak mate link.

Well, a weak link until he showed up apparently.

I tried everything to get rid of that agonizing mark so I could move on. I had a life now in a different city in neutral territory. I had taken a few lovers but was never satisfied, and I knew he felt it when I had sex with them. They never felt right, and I tried not to care.

I tried desperately to feel pleasure with them, to lose myself for a few minutes, but nothing worked. The pain remained.

I slowly turned to Kyran, but I couldn't hide the tears running down my face. "You tell me how you would ever forgive me? We were mates, Kyran, but you don't know what that means. So you tell me how I can ever forgive you?"

Kyran stood in front of me looking down. God he smelled good and it made my mouth water, made the anger flare from the injustice.

"Please spend some time with me, Ellis. Please. That's all I'm asking for now. And your tears are killing me."

"Good," is all I said as I turned back around to open my car door. My wolf growled at me in a desperate fury and I pushed her back in my mind- hard. She craved him with her whole being and started flashing me pictures of his deliciously naked body. That, in truth, was never really mine.

I put my hands on the top of the car so I wouldn't fall down. Damn bond! Why now? Why when I finally could sometimes go a whole day without thinking of him?

Keeping my head down I asked him, "Did you feel them, when I screwed them?"

I felt Kyran's instant answer. "Yes," he growled at me and I felt his rising anger which I ignored.

"All of them?" I asked him again.

I heard a low growl from deep in his chest. "Yes," he barely whispered.

"How did that feel, when you knew someone else's cock was inside of me?" I asked cruelly, knowing my words were like knives stabbing into him.

"I wanted to die, Ellis."

"Good," I said. "And I was free to have sex with anyone I wanted. I rejected my mate, I wasn't lying to anybody. I didn't break anyone's heart or trust when I was fucking those men."

Kyran closed his eyes and clenched his now shaking fists as he tried fighting his wolf for control. Interesting. "Go away Kyran."

"No. You're my Luna." No, my mate didn't know what that really meant, he threw that person away.

I sighed closing my eyes and lowering my head from the sheer weight of my agony, god I just needed to get away but my wolf just wouldn't let me. She was frantic now and I wouldn't be able to hold her back for much longer. "Meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning. Your trackers know where I usually eat, I'll be there at eight." I opened the door and I made myself look at him. "And write down every time you fucked some skank after you knew we were mates. Every. Single. Time. I want you to bring the list with you."

Kyran's eyes were black with anger, but then turned back into his normal brown eye color when he saw how serious I was.

"Why, Ellis?"

I just looked at him and replied, "Meet me for breakfast and you will see."