A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Concerned for the safety of the others in the room, Amanda took no time to make her presence known. "Hello, guys. I'm sorry I scared everybody, but I'm alright," she said bursting through the doorway.

Four pairs of eyes snapped to her and the tension in the room faltered. Everyone stood stock still for a moment, then Devon walked to Amanda and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay. You scared me," he said into her ear.

Amanda didn't move a muscle as he held her, arms dangling at her sides and eyes wide as saucers. Once Devon let go, she stared at his face like he was a stranger. The pack members in the room looked back and forth between Devon and Amanda with confusion.

Devon's expression turned sheepish and with a shy smile and a shrug he said "She's my mate."

The confusion turned to fear. Nina and Dominic backed away from the center of the room. Jade grabbed Amanda's elbow as Amanda bumped backwards into her.

Chase, still stone-faced, strode closer to Devon closing the distance between them. When they were almost toe to toe, he stopped.

"I'm sorry. You must be mistaken. You meant 'was'," Chase said, his tone low and even.

"Excuse me?" Devon said. He pulled himself up tall, matching Chase for height.

"You said Amanda is your mate. You should say Amanda was your mate. You missed out on that opportunity," Chase said through his teeth.

Now it was Devon's turn to be confused. "Well that doesn't make sense. Once mates, always mates. Isn't that how the whole thing works?"

Devon's question was met with silent stares as he glanced around the room. Amanda noticed Chase's frustration and stepped out to speak.

"Um, Devon? You rejected me, remember? So, if that's why you're here, I think you should just go," Amanda said.

Her headache increased briefly, making her dizzy. She took a step forward and grabbed Chase's sleeve to steady herself. Concerned, he turned towards her and grasped her hip to support her.

Devon's eyes flashed at the exchange. "So, what your parents have been saying is true. You've found another mate." His face turned red. "This is not acceptable. Amanda, get away from him."

It was Amanda's turn to look confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You are my mate, Amanda, and I'm not giving you up to some pretend alpha just because he's impressed you with his house and his city. I'm not going home until you come with me," Devon declared.

Amanda looked at him with horror. She remembered all the years she had had a crush on Devon, waxing poetically on how handsome he was to Cassie. Although he barely spoke to her, she remembered him being kind and polite to other pack members and had been impressed at his relationship with his parents. Now he was even more handsome, yet his family had left him to move west and Cassie had mentioned that he had been struggling in the pack recently.

As Amanda righted herself, she tried to come up with the words to explain to Devon that her feelings weren't so simple anymore. Before she could gather her thoughts, Chase pushed her behind him and growled.

"I will not allow you to take Amanda anywhere. Amanda is my mate now. You lost your chance." Chase's voice sounded more beast than human.

Devon snorted. "Fine. Be that way. I challenge you to a duel then. The winner will be the one most worthy of Amanda."

Enraged, Chase yelled back. "Fine! Tomorrow at noon then. Prepare yourself."

Satisfied, Devon stomped out of the room and up the stairs.

Those remaining in the kitchen glanced around at each other nervously. Chase took a slow, deep breath and turned towards Amanda. She stared into his eyes, searching for his impetus in his actions. Seeing her expression, Chase grabbed her hands, but she ripped them away. Wordlessly, she pushed past Jade and retreated to her own room to process what had just happened.

Author's Note:

So...that happened. Devon challenged Chase to a duel, which, if you remember how Chase became alpha, that might not have been the best move. Do you think Devon has a chance?

Amanda seemed pretty pissed afterwards. What do you think she wanted to have happen? Who do you think she's the most mad at?

Also, are you wondering where the hunter went? Don't worry, I didn't forget about him. It will all make sense soon...I hope.

Thank you for continuing to stick with me. Please vote and comment to let me know how I'm doing and ways I can improve!