Grace was reading one of the books in the pack's library. Martin was away on his gasoline duty, and she had no idea where Chris had gone. She didn't talk to many other people very often. When Martin wasn't on guard and Chris was not around, they would often sneak off to run in the woods, swim in the lake, or just watch the sunset. He had a great sense of humour that she loved. They had become good friends. Grace found solace in the peaceful moments spent with Martin, away from the chaos of pack life.
Whenever she felt guilty about cheating, she reminded herself that she wasn't sleeping with omegas like Chris, so she wasn't really cheating. A cough broke her reverie, and she turned to see Gregory standing there, a knowing smirk on his face.
"What's the matter, Gregory?" She demanded of the beta, her voice clearly tinged with irritation.
Greg Byrne and Thomas Grant were the new betas, and she hated them. They looked really creepy.
He glared at her and then handed her a phone, saying, "Alpha has asked you to manage this since he doesn't have the time to deal with such unimportant matters."
Grace, who had been sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, stood up, walked over to the phone, and put it up to her ear without uttering a word. She asked aloud into the receiver, "Yes?" It turned out to be James, beta of the Greystone pack.
She remained still for a brief period, nodding her head.
"Thank you, James. Yes, I will inform the alpha," she said after pausing for a moment. "It's not a problem at all. We haven't even started packing yet," she said as she slammed the phone back at Gregory.
"Can you tell me what he wanted?" he inquired.
"Tell your stupid Alpha that the Greystone Moon Feast has been moved to another date. Two weeks from Sunday," she stood up. "What has he been doing? That he couldn't answer one measly phone call?" she asked.
Gregory smirked. He folded his arms around his chest. "The Alpha, you have the gall to call stupid'," he paused, still smiling as he leant his weight against the wall. "You'll be surprised at what we have in store for that pack's future and, of course, Rosalie."
"What do you mean, Gregory?" she demanded.
Gregory's smirk widened as he raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say that the Greystone Moon Feast won't be the only thing changing in the near future," he replied cryptically. Rosalie's eyes narrowed, and curiosity piqued as she waited for him to elaborate further.
"You must be a very lonely woman, Grace."
"How dare you call my name !" Grace said in anger, "I am your Luna, and you will call me your Luna."
Within the blink of an eye, he had her by the collar of her shirt and hurled her onto the wall. As she slammed into the wall, the plaster cracked, and she fell to the floor.
"Grace Anderson," he said with a chuckle. "You may be the Luna, but you don't have the Alpha's heart.".
Grace scrambled to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury.
"It doesn't matter ! I am still your Luna, and you will pay for this."
Gregory let out a snort.
"Pity," he said, pausing for dramatic effect. "We all know how much he enjoys humping Rosalie-look-alike," he said, bending down and stroking her hair. "You are so beautiful; most wolves would howl your name. But the Alpha is not interested in your seductive beauty."
Grace's fists clenched as she resisted the urge to attack Gregory.
"I'm going to rip your throat out, Gregory." She swore.
"You wish," he said with a mocking smile as he grabbed her collar again and slammed her against the wall. He held her still as she struggled to get free from his hold. She could feel his breath on her as he whispered, "I know how much you miss a man's touch; I can see it in your eyes." He trailed his free hand over her exposed cleavage. "I'll make your desires come true," he said as he bent down to kiss her lips.
She struggled, kicking her legs. She attempted to kick him in the groin, but it seemed as if she were kicking air instead of him. He laughed as he snatched both of her hands and held them tightly against the wall while maintaining his iron hold.
While he licked her chin and cooed at her, he said, "Don't fight it." She recoiled in revulsion at the thought. "I know you long to be touched. Your wolf howls to be claimed, and yet your mate doesn't want to touch you. Such a waste. "
He clicked his tongue. "What a waste of such a perfectly tight, youthful body."
He was about to press his lips against hers when she smacked her forehead against his.
Shocked from pain, he let go of her. She shifted into her wolf, ripping her dress off her body, and bolted out of the library door.
Grace ran as quickly as her four paws could carry her in any direction. She leapt up the well-known trail that was littered with rocks and downed branches. Grace's instincts took over as she raced through the forest, the wind whipping through her fur. The adrenaline of the chase helped her push aside the fear and pain from Gregory's unwanted advances.
She felt dirty. It was humiliating to be degraded by an oaf! A middle-aged oaf who was mated and had children her age ! She sprinted blindly, tears flecking off her wolfy, golden eyes. Now even Chris's betas were disrespectful here.
She didn't know how it happened, but she reverted to being human. She sobbed as she walked up to a small boulder and rested her head on it. She felt safe and happy here—on the secret hilltop that Martin had revealed to her.
"Grace?" a concerned voice asked. She could feel strong, warm hands touching her bare shoulders in concern, but she jumped away in self-defence. She snarled at the intruder. She was about to shift back into her wolf form when she noticed it was Martin. She broke into helpless sobs in his arms.
"Grace?" he asked again, holding her chin to face him. "What happened to you? Did the alpha hurt you again?"