Moonlit Forever

Daniel POV

Sitting on the log with Maddie I tried to think of what I wanted to say. Watching her pick at the bark on the log, I hesitated for a moment long before sighing out and starting, "I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you before. When I found you, I really didn't want a mate." Holding up my hand to stop her from yelling at me with her eyes blazing, I continued on quickly. "My dad lost my mom in a rogue attack. He never recovered from it. Went crazy is the best way to describe it. He wanted to attack the other packs and just wasn't the man he used to be. I saw the sorrow in his eyes when I had to kill him. He wasn't going to get better though. After that I had to watch as my pack pulled ourselves back together. I swore I would never have a mate so they wouldn't have to go through that again. Then you came along. I'd already picked Rachel and even though she wasn't the best choice, she was good enough." Shrugging at the last part, I focused on the bark of the tree and started to pick it off. Feeling her eyes piercing into me, I just gritted my teeth and avoided her eyes.

"Why would you pick someone who already had a mate?" She asked, her voice dangerously low. Looking up at her confused I paused for a moment.

"Rachel's mate died in a rogue attack. How did you know that though?" I asked her confused. Feeling my face scrunch up as hers took on a murderous look, I started to rub my hands on my thighs.

"Her mate did not die in a rogue attack. Why would you say that?!" she spat out at me. I watched as her eyes started to change into her wolf. Seeing her breath slowly and deeply to try and regain control, I waited until Maddie had calmed down slightly.

"That's what she told us had happened." I explained to her slowly. Glancing at her curiously, I watched as she had an internal battle with herself.

"Did you know that Sean was her mate?" She ground out. Scoffing out at that, I couldn't help but smile a bit at her confusion, seeing her murderous glance at me, I held my hands up in surrender.

"Sean isn't her mate. Sean is a creepy pervert who raped her and several other female wolves in our pack." I told her reassuringly. Reaching out to rub her arm a bit, I was startled when she jerked it back and stood up to pace.

"Who told you that?" She hissed out.

"Rachel and her friends, they came to me afraid of what he would do to them. I kicked him out of the pack after that." I told her getting angrier with each word. Watching her stalk, I could feel my anger build up. "Why the fuck does this matter now?" I threw at her. Seeing her stop and whip around, I felt shock at seeing her riled up this way. He eyes were wild and her canines had elongated. Claws were starting to develop where her fingers had been. Gasping in a breath, I watched her turn around and count down from 50 before turning back to me.

"Rachel is Sean's mate you dingus. All of this happened because Rachel chose you over him." I heard her hiss out every word, anger and sadness lacing her voice. Standing I strode over to her and pulled her into my arms. Feeling her struggle, I held on tighter until I felt her relax and start to sob into my chest. Stroking her hair, I felt her sobs start to subside. Leading her back over to the tree, I pulled her into my lap and held her for a bit longer before I started to speak.

"Did Sean tell you that?" Feeling her nod, I just sat in silence for a few minutes longer. After a minute she pulled back slightly to look at me.

"You don't believe me but I know he was telling the truth. Isn't it a bit odd that the only people Sean supposedly raped were Rachel and her friends? There are tons of other females in the pack who he could have gone after, yet it was only Rachel and her friends who spoke up. I bet it was shortly after she turned 18 that she accused him too. Waited a few years, going around to different packs and then came back with some hokey story about how her mate died in a rogue attack." I felt my wolf getting angrier at her words, because that was exactly how it happened. Sitting in silence I tried to control the shaking I felt as my wolf thought about all the possibilities that could have happened to Maddie. Feeling her wrap her arms around me and hug me, I hugged her tightly to me and buried my nose in her hair.

"I'm going to kill her for lying to me. She put you in danger." I whispered into her hair. Hearing her laugh, I pulled back to look at her shocked.

"We aren't going to kill her. We are going to go back to our pack and we are going to forget this happened. She will be reminded to stay in line but we are going to try and piece back together whatever this is." She said gesturing between us. Sniffing at that, I heard her laughing at me again. Cracking a small smile, I growled when I felt her get off my lap.

"Come on wolf man. Let's head back to the house before my parents send out a search party. We can watch a movie or something." Looking at her curiously, I slowly stood.

"How can you be so quick to forget the past?" I asked her as we started walking back to the house.

"I haven't forgotten yet but I'm willing to move past it. We both hurt each other but it was because of the lies of others, and things from the past. It'll be hard work but maybe we can make it work out in the end." Stepping nimbly down the hill, she barely broke stride as she talked to me. Following more clumsily, I almost tripped over a branch when I heard her laugh. Getting to the bottom of the hill, I shot her a look which had her shrieking in laughter. Sighing and rolling my eyes I just grabbed her hand and lead her into the house.