The Rejected Mate

CHAPTER FOUR

“A rogue?” he growls, and I think he is confirming my identity, so I nod.

But It’s as if my nodding triggers him more because he get more angrier and wants to lunge at me. If not for the second guy beside him that asks him to calm down and whispers something into his ear, I will have been in pieces right now.

As I watch Alpha Rowan calming down as the other guy whispers something in his ear, and his fangs and claws retract, I breathe out in relief.

Alpha Rowan looks at me with disgust as he speaks: “I’m giving you five minutes to get your sorry ass out of my pack, or else…” He trails off and then turns to leave.

“But Alpha,” Maya protests, “she’s still injured. We can’t just—”

“Silence!” Alpha Rowan growls, his eyes flashing red, the color of an Alpha’s eyes and Maya and the other guy immediately lower their gazes in submission.

I want to beg, but at that moment, the fear that engulfs me makes me recoil. So I just keep my mouth shut.

With a final glare in my direction, Alpha Rowan storms out of the room while the other guy trail behind him.

Maya and I breathe out in relief at the same time when we see that he has left the room. We look at each other and smile, knowing how scared we just were just now.

Her eyes suddenly fill with sympathy and sadness as she slowly sits next to me on the bed. "I'm so sorry, Anita. I should have asked you about your background before calling the Alpha," she says softly.

I nod and tell her it's alright. “But are all Alphas cold and meanike that? Because I don't understand why he's like that.” I ask.

"No ,they are not. Infact, he’s the kindest of all but it's just that Alpha Rowan has a deep hatred for rogues. Two years ago, they killed our Luna, his mate. That day, they had a big fight, and Luna Mabel left the pack in anger. The rogues took her, and when the Alpha and some warriors went to get her, they slit her throat right in front of him."

Sadness washes over me as I hear this, and my heart aches for him. Now I understand why he acted like that as I also know the pain of losing a mate, even though mine didn’t die but rejected me.

It feels just as painful.

“So you need to leave, or else he might do something worse. The only reason he calmed down is because his Beta must have reminded him of the rule that we don’t shed blood in the pack. I’m really sorry,” she says, and I smile at her, trying to show her that I’m alright and she shouldn’t feel guilty.

But the truth is, my heart sinks knowing I have to leave. Just when I thought I might have found a new friend, filled with a little joy, it's being ripped away from me again, all because I didn’t think things through.

Out of all the excuses I could have given, why did I say I'm a rogue? If I change my story now, they definitely won’t let me stay because they’ll think I wasn’t honest from the start.

But I still need to leave.

I give Maya a tight hug as she was my first friend. Although our time together was short, I’m still grateful to have met her. As Maya helps me gather my few belongings, a commotion outside catches our attention.

We rush to the window and see a group of pack members gathered around some people who looks ill. Without thinking, I hurry outside, ignoring the pain that shoots through my body with every step.

I don’t know if I can call this a doctor’s instinct or something else, but I just feel the need to help these people.

As I approach the group and see them, I immediately recognize the symptoms of wolfsbane poisoning. But this isn’t just any wolfsbane; it’s something more dangerous—something I’ve read about.

Well, not exactly read, but I snuck a look at it in a secret book in our pack library that contains many secrets and information.

I got the chance to read it because many of the doctors were lazy during night duties, preferring to spend time with their mates or families, so I took on many night shifts and snuck in to read about it.

It’s a secret and desperate method used to attack other packs when they are losing a war. It’s like a poison.

But how did they get attacked by this? Could someone from my pack have done this?

“What is wrong with him?” I hear Alpha Rowan's voice, and I almost flinch, but Maya holds me and quickly pulls me out of his way.

Alpha Rowan's eyes land on me, and I can hear a soft growl from him which make my heart pound heavily and I quickly lower my gaze, moving slowly away in fear.

“Alpha, I think it’s wolfsbane, but I’ve tried everything to detoxify it, and nothing is working. I’ve used almost every drug, but nothing is helping. I... I don’t even know what’s wrong,” the man attending to them says, trembling. I guess he’s the pack doctor.

As they talk, more people are brought in, all affected by the illness and they all narrate that they have no idea how they were poisoned.

Seeing them groaning in pain, I can’t hold back any longer. I hate seeing people in pain, even if they’re the same ones who like putting me in it.

"I can help," I say, pushing my way through the crowd.