Chapter 16

　　Serena's POV. 　　"Mate!" I recoiled, horror etched on my face. "No... no... no!" I protested, backing away as if I could escape the truth. 　　This had to be some kind of mistake. The moon goddess couldn't be serious. Me, mate with Ross? After everything he'd done to me? 　　I glared at Ross, his mouth agape in shock. 　　"What's going on?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. 　　I shook my head, still trying to wrap my mind around this revelation. I turned to flee, but Ross caught my hands, holding me in place. 　　"Serena, what's going on?" he asked again, his eyes searching mine for answers. 　　I struggled to free myself, my mind racing. "I... I... thought you found your mate that day," I stammered, trying to make sense of this chaos. 　　Ross shook his head, a sad expression clouding his face. 　　"No, I didn't," he admitted, and all I could manage was a weak "Oooo." 　　But as I stood there, I realized that neither me or Richard had rejected the mate bond. So, why was I being given a