The Rejected Mate

CHAPTER FIVE

Alpha Rowan shuts his eyes for a moment, clearly getting angrier. “Leave!” he yells, his eyes flashing red.

I tumble to the ground from the force of his voice, and it’s clear I’m not the only one scared of him. Everyone else bows their heads in fear.

But I can’t give up. They’re all going to die if I don’t treat them soon.

“I know you don’t want to see me, but they won’t make it. This isn’t an ordinary wolfsbane attack. It’s something else.”

“What are you saying? It’s definitely wolfsbane!” the pack doctor yells at me, trying to defend himself as I seem to be making him look incompetent.

“It might look like wolfsbane symptoms to you, but trust me, it’s not. And I can cure it because I…” I hesitate, remembering that I already told Alpha Rowan I’m a rogue. “I… have spent years traveling, trying to survive. Trust me, I’ve seen this before. In a few minutes, they’ll start coughing up blood and getting weaker. You’ll be killing them by stopping me from treating them.”

“Shut your mouth, you wench! How dare you spout nonsense when you know nothing about medicine! Who exactly are you? How did you even get in here?” the pack doctor yells, his hand on his waist, now furious that I’m challenging him.

I want to say more, but the name and treatment of this illness are secrets that aren’t supposed to be shared with other packs. Telling them would mean giving away my pack’s secret.

No! I can’t do that… I can’t tell them. I don’t know how they got attacked by this, but I can save them without revealing the existence of the illness to the public.

“Guards,” Alpha Rowan calls, and some guards rush over, surrounding me. “Drag this rogue out of the pack, right now!” he commands.

“What? A rogue?”

“There can’t be a rogue in the pack!”

I hear people whispering and feel their gazes on me, and fear grips me as memories of how I was bullied flood back.

The guards seize me and start dragging me off. I see Maya’s concerned face, but she’s helpless. As they drag me away, I suddenly hear a loud scream, and the guards stop. I turn around to see everyone vomiting blood, just like I predicted. I quickly break free from the guards and rush to attend to the patients.

None of the regular drugs will work on this. Only herbal medicine will.

“Since they’re already spitting blood, they have no more than tonight to survive. You must get me some leaves immediately,” I say, and to my surprise, they all agree with whatever I say.

I give them the names of the leaves, and Alpha Rowan dispatches many guards to search for them. Thankfully, they return quickly.

For hours, I work tirelessly, using my knowledge of herbal remedies to treat the sick pack members. I’m relieved when it’s successful. As the last patient’s fever breaks, I look up to see Alpha Rowan watching me, his expression a mix of surprise and grudging respect.

The pack doctor hangs his head in embarrassment, but I don’t think he should feel ashamed. He wasn’t supposed to know about this unless he had read that secret book. How could a small pack like this have such knowledge?

After treating everyone, I prepare to leave as planned, though it's now dark. As I pick up my bag and head toward the door, I silently pray for someone to stop me.

Please...please...call me back.

"Anita!" I hear my name, and happiness surges through me.

I turn around to see Maya and immediately run to her.

"He changed his mind. You can stay," she says, and I scream in joy, hardly believing it.

I finally find a place where I belong.

Maya helps me with my bag and leads me into the pack house, my arm wrapped around hers.

********

Days turn into weeks, and I gradually adapt to life in the Shadowfang Pack. Each day here brings me happiness as I make friends and feel cared for.

I live in the pack house and become the assistant pack doctor. The head doctor even offers to resign and let me take over, but I decline, reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know about the illness. Now we work together as a team.

Unlike in my old pack, no one here seems to care about my physical weakness or the fact that I’m an omega without a mate. Instead, they value my skills—my knowledge of healing and my willingness to help wherever I’m needed.

Maybe it’s because this pack is small, leading to more harmony and love, but what I know for sure is that I love it here.

I also form a close relationship with an elderly woman named Laura, who treats me with a motherly affection I have never experienced before.

"You remind me of my daughter," she often says, her eyes misting with memories.

Despite the growing acceptance from the pack, Alpha Rowan remains distant and cold toward me. He still doesn’t like me because of my rogue status. Our interactions are limited and often tense, like the time I accidentally spill a tray of medical supplies all over his freshly pressed shirt.

He’s furious, and I can see the rage in his eyes.

"For Moon's sake, woman!" he bellows, a mixture of shock and irritation on his face. "Stay at least ten miles away from me at all times!"

Those are the last words he says to me, and since then, I avoid him like the plague.

I stretch my arms as I finish my shift, bidding everyone goodnight before grabbing my bag to head home. But as I walk toward the door, I suddenly feel dizzy. I haven’t been feeling well for a while—weakness, dizzy spells, nausea, and a deep fatigue that I can’t shake.

I try to compose myself and just get home, but as I reach the door, the room begins to spin. Before I know it, I’m falling. The last thing I remember is the panicked voice of my coworkers calling my name as darkness envelops me.