Rejecting, Your Broken Promises
Chapter 35

Percy’s POV

Ever Green Pack

I followed King Sebastian back to the dining room, but I have most of the weight off of my shoulders now. I can breathe again. As soon as I saw him, I thought that he was going to be angry with me for upsetting his daughter. I appreciate him speaking to me the way he did. He gave me respect and listened to what I was saying. I truly love Peyton and want her to be happy. I am praying to the Goddess that she can help me get my mate back to love me as she did again. It is killing me trying to go this slow with our relationship. I am trying to be patient, but I want her in my arms again. I need to have her scent all around me so I can calm down too. I want to mate her and claim her as mine completely.

I saw her smiling brightly at her dad as he approached and then saw her smile falter when she saw me, and it was like a knife to my heart. She was clearly upset with me, and I know seeing Stephanie brought it on for her. She was fine before that. I really hope that King Sebastian and Queen Deanna can help her move past this. We all spoke for a little while, and then a few started to go up to their rooms to get ready for bed. I was looking at Peyton, waiting for an opportunity to ask her if she was ready to go up with me, but a break in the conversation never came. I am treading lightly here, as I don’t want to upset her more.

I finally headed up after saying goodnight to her family and gave her a look, but she refused to look at me. I sighed and gave a smile to her family before going up alone. I took my shower and got ready for bed, skipping the t-shirt and just wearing my sweatpants for bed. It took a while for me to fall asleep as I was keeping an ear out for her, but she never came to bed with me. I realize that she is hurt, but I am worried about her, and for her safety. I headed down to breakfast and saw her sitting with her family, Elena, and Moira.

I got my food and was half listening to the conversation when I heard that Peyton was planning on phasing into her wolf and wanting to run. As they made plans, I knew that she was going to need me there to help her to phase as it would make it easier on her for me to be there, especially for her first shift.

“I can come too. I can stay back if you want, but I want to be there for you. Also, Aramis and I would like to see Sienna”, I told her, and she barely paused at what she was saying to Elena and then kept talking like I hadn’t spoken. I was going to leave it alone, as her lack of an answer was an answer when her dad spoke up.

“I agree, I think that would be the best way to go about this. It was her first shift, and it would be easier for her to do it with her mate there to comfort her. It will make it quicker and less painful for Peyton”, King Sebastian said to me.

“Yes, Peyton, Percy needs to be there with you. It will definitely make it easier for you to have him there with you. Plus, your wolves need to be able to spend time together to make the bond stronger. I agree with your father on this. I remember when I first phased out, and it was really hard. The only thing that helped was having your father with me”, Queen Deanna said.

I was watching Peyton out of the corner of my eye, and I saw that she was stunned by what they had said. I think she thought that they were just going to keep me away from her, and I am really glad her family is here now to help me. I will do anything to make her happy.

“We will all be there for you Peyton, you know we will, but mates are special and a blessing from the Goddess. Please don’t fight against it. I think after your shift you will be able to see the root cause of what is really upsetting you, instead of what you are currently focused on. It is a coping mechanism, and you need to deal with the actual problem, and not just where your mind is trying to focus. You are unintentionally hurting your mate with it” King Sebastian told her, and I saw her start tearing up at hearing that she was hurting me. It hurts me to see her going through so much and shutting me out, not allowing me to help her.

“That is fine. I would like you to come with us, and for you to help me phase into my wolf. I believe they are right. I am actually very stressed out right now, and whatever will help me get through it, or past it, I want to do. I don’t like feeling like this”, Peyton told me, and I will take it as a win. We all made plans to meet at 9 am at the forest line in the northwest part of the packlands, as it was the most secluded. I am excited that she is even going to let me participate in it. I am also so thankful that the king and Queen, as well as her brothers, were all supporting me, and pushing me to Peyton. I headed up to Heath’s office, which was empty, to get my paperwork done so I would be free the rest of the day to spend with Peyton. The time moved quickly and before I knew it was 10 minutes until 9, and I had just gotten done. I ran up and changed into some basketball shorts and ran to meet them at the edge of the forest.

I was glad to see my entire family there as well, along with Peyton’s family. I was the last one there and I said, “I was completing my paperwork so I would be free for the rest of the day”. I wanted Peyton to know that she is the most important thing in my life, and I will always make time for her in it.

We all headed into the forest. I saw that Peyton was wearing a dress over her and I could already tell she was naked underneath it. I just realized that I am about to see my mate naked for the first time, and I should have taken a quick cold shower first. I am glad that this didn’t occur to me earlier, or else I wouldn’t have been able to focus on my paperwork. I can see that the expression on my face has not escaped my dad, the King, of Heath, as they give me a smirk at my reaction to my mate. The women head to one side and the men to the other to phase. Because both Sloan and Peyton are both new mates, we are more aggressive towards men being around them, especially at the start. It won’t matter that they are family to our wolves. They are possessive and protective of their mates.

Peyton’s mom, Deanna, had stayed behind and started giving gentle instructions to Peyton for her to remove her dress and get on the grass. She told her that I would stay with her through the phase and that it would be painful, but manageable. That having your mate by your side was the best thing for her right now. She also leaned in to make it more private, but since I had werewolf hearing and was only a few feet away, I heard it all. “Peyton, you need your mate and the comfort that only he can give you. You do not need to fight against him. You need to relax and remember your love for him to make this transition as painless as possible. He loves you, and he didn’t betray you. It was before you two even met, and he ended it with her before he left to go to B***d Claw. He wants you, and only you. We will get this worked out, but you need to trust him right now to help you get through this”. Queen Deanna nodded her head towards me, before heading to where the other women had gone.

I waited for Peyton to turn and come to stand next to me. I can tell she is scared to take her dress off in front of me. I turned my back to her so she could take her dress off without me staring at her, and that was hard on me too. I sat down on the ground behind her, and I could hear her dress rustling as she took it off and laid it down on the ground next to me. I made a mental note to take it with me where I will be leaving my basketball shorts after I phase so I can leave our clothes together. I won’t mind my clothes smelling like hers at all.

I hear her settle onto the ground behind me, and ask, “What do I do now?”

“Call Sienna forward, I am not going to lie to you the first time your bones changing and morphing around really does hurt. My parents were with Dawson and me when we did our first phase, and it helped to have them there to speak calmly to us”, I told her. I want to turn around, but I know that we aren’t quite there yet. She is nicer, and I think with her parents mentioning that she may just be overwhelmed and taking it out on me, she is trying harder around me.

“When will it happen? I called her forward, but she isn’t here yet.” Peyton said.

“We can talk while we wait, this isn’t always immediate, it will take a while for your bones to change and adjust,” I told her.

“OK, what do you want to talk about?” Peyton asked me.

“I would like to know where you spent the night last night. I fell asleep waiting for you, but you never went to bed. Where did you sleep?” I asked her.

“I stayed with Elena. I just needed some time. I know I was being a little irrational, but seeing her out there at the gate, calling for you. It was really disturbing. You are mine, not hers. I know that it isn’t completely logical but look at all the changes I have made this week. They are numerous. Plus, seeing Jasper at the gate, that was very scary. I know he is planning on trying to force me into being his Luna, and I don’t want that. I am just upset that no one here apparently realizes that you are taken. You haven’t announced me to the pack or formally claimed me for all to see. There are rumors running about, and instead of squashing them, they are continued to be spread around. It is like I am your dirty little secret. Like you are not proud of me to have your Luna. I have been hearing that I am not worthy for the last 6 years, and it stays with you. I thought it would be different here, and it is, kind of. But there are some things that are the same, because I don’t feel like I have real value here. It is no wonder that these girls keep trying to get you to accept them. They really think that they have a chance to be Luna”, Peyton tells me, and I hear the pain in her voice.

“Baby, I am so sorry. I never called for a town hall because I knew that you were overwhelmed already. It wasn’t because I don’t want you. I want you so much it hurts me. Seeing Jasper at the gate wanting to take you away from me, I wanted to kill him for even thinking that he could take you from me. I will never allow that to happen. You are mine, forever. I cannot think of anyone I would want by my side, to snuggle with, to sit on my lap, or to have pups with. You are the best woman I know, and I love everything about you” I told her, and I heard her sob, taking in a breath.

I turned around then because I was done with not being able to see my mate. Her slim form was lying on her side with her back towards me. She was still so very thin, but she was absolutely stunning as she lay there. Her creamy skin called out to me to reach out and touch her, but I restrained myself. I lay down on my side as well, bringing my chest up to her back, and sniffed her hair. I am so glad I have my Peyton back. I was going to put my arm around her and pull her back towards me, but I didn’t know if she would be OK with me doing that or not.

“Just ask her stupid. If she says no, then we will wait, but I need to touch my mate if she will let you. She needs our comfort and our strength right now. Can’t you feel how anxious she is? Comfort her, Percy”, Aramis sounds out loudly in my head.

“Peyton, can I put my arm around you?” I asked her, praying for her to say yes.

“Yes, Percy,” Peyton told me, and I released my breath. I was not even aware I wasn’t breathing, waiting for her answer.

I try to stay calm as I slide my arm over her side and keep it at her waist. I immediately pulled her closer to me and put my nose to my mark on her neck to inhale her scent. It hasn’t been 14 hours since Jasper got here, and these have been the worst 14 hours of my life. I have never been more unsure of myself ever before. Knowing that there was a problem, and not knowing how to fix it. It was something so simple, and I was being honest about it. I was planning on having a pack meeting next week to introduce her, but she is right. The rumor mill had been hard at work, and they weren’t treating her as their soon-to-be-Luna. I will be fixing that tonight. I mindlinked Heath and asked him to make it a mandatory meeting for the whole pack to attend, even if they weren’t pack members yet. Since she is ready, I will do it now. I am proud of her for not allowing her past to break her when it would have broken a weaker wolf.

We lay there for another 5 minutes before I heard the sounds of the phasing starting. I sat up next to her to give her room and rubbed her back as she tried not to call out in pain as her body reshaped. Her arms are getting longer and her legs getting shorter. Her torso elongated and her face changed and then morphed into a muzzle. Through it all, I spoke gently to her and stroked her back. She is special, she was sprouting a beautiful silvery grey coat. The Goddess had blessed her, and at just a glance you could see that her fur was different from any other that I have seen in my life. We were in a small clearing and the sun was shining down on her fur. It is almost making it sparkle like she is coated in diamonds in the sun. I stand to look at her and she attempts to stand up. I give her instructions on how to use her four paws and be able to get up as I stare, captivated, at her.

She stands up to my shoulder, she is a big wolf, but very slim. She shook herself and I saw the line of female wolves standing to my right. They had probably been there the whole time, and I didn’t notice them as I was just trying to be with my mate. We were safe, so I didn’t have to be on guard or listen for every sound in the woods. She shakes herself and she is the most gorgeous wolf I have ever seen in my life. The shaking of her fur caused me to see the full effect of the special fur color. She had some lighter hair on her, that looked like spun moonbeams. It gave her a special effect of almost glistening in the sun. I wanted to see what she would look like at night too. I bet they would still glisten in the moonlight. I suddenly can’t wait to go phase myself, while she practices walking around and getting her legs figured out.

I ran to go change and leave our clothes behind the tree and jumped into the air, immediately phasing and then running back to my mate. I knew who everyone was just by looking around. Our whole family were black wolves. But mom’s eyes stay blue, even when she phases. I have my mother’s eye color and out of the three children, only mine stayed blue in my wolf form; the rest of the family have dark-colored eyes. I am proud to have that in common with mom, but all of us are black wolves. I see the Queen is also special. She is a beautiful ivory color with a few lighter hairs that also makes her stand out like she has diamonds on her fur when the sunlight hits them, just like my mate has. King Sebastian was a huge black wolf, and both his sons were large black wolves as well. Amanda is a red and brown wolf, and Sloan is beautiful too. She is a dark brown, almost black wolf, just like her hair color, and her eyes are the same stunning purple color. I had told both dad and Heath that everyone was ready to go, and the men walked out of the forest ready for our run to start. We spent 5 hours out there running and I have never had more fun on a run ever before. We hunted for lunch, and all shared a deer we found in the woods. We all went to the lake to clean ourselves off and then came back to the clearing to get dressed and go back to the packhouse. I had a great time today, and I couldn’t wait for tonight to claim my mate for the world to see.