Alpha Rejected Mate

Fractured Bonds

in the morning, Amelia Throne mood was perfectly matched. Every moment of the previous night replaid itself in her mind and every replay was more painful than the previous one.

It was as though she could almost touch the taste of Andre Winston’s rejection, the nasty looks from the pack, the stinging of the humiliation she had had to suffer, which seemed to stick like a foul taste in her mouth. All the other members had shifted under the light of the full moon, all of them having paired off. For Amelia the night was certainly one of humiliation and despair.

The silence was only interrupted by a soft knock on the door, then the sound of carefully turned doorknob as Selena entered the room.

“Amelia, sweetheart,” Selena said softly begun to walk towards her niece carefully.

“Are you not coming down for breakfast? Are you alright?” Selena asked.

Selena tried to push Amelia’s bangs away from her face, but found her bowed head unable to move.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be alright again,” Amelia said so low, Selena only caught the last part of it.

Selena couldn’t help but seeing her suffering. She got seated next to her, and instinctively put her hand on the girl’s back, to comfort her. “Last night was tough but things will get better soon. You have to trust that.”

“How can I?” Amelia asked.

There was a silence and then Amelia could barely speak, her voice quivering, and she sniffed and looked up.

Amelia went on “Everyone saw what happened. He turned me down in front of the whole pack. I still get by with the belief that they all think I am useless, a laughing stock. How do I suppose to face them now?”

Selena let out a heavy breath, gently running her hand up and over Amelia’s back. “Such behavior is not surprises because people can be very harsh when they do not comprehend the situation at hand. But what do you know, it simply means that you are much stronger than you think you are. The moon chose you for a reason.”

“Perhaps the moon was wrong!” Amelia thundered.

“Never question the moon’s choices,” Selena stated confidently.

She added “Its plans are beyond our comprehension, but it has never made a mistake.”

“I guess it did,” Amelia said.

Before Selena could reply, Marcus interrupted.

“Selena! Is that girl up yet? She has chores to do!”

This time Amelia cringed at the sound of her uncle Marcus’s brawny voice. Since the gathering he has had even more hatred towards her, his tolerance towards her has thinned with each passing day.

Selena’s clenched her jaw and got up from the chair. “Ignore him, Amelia. Take your time this morning. You don’t have to rush.”

But Amelia slowly shook her head, having hastily dried the tears that were in her face. “No, it’s fine. I’ll go down. Better to get it over with.”

Selena blinked and, after a second or two, she slowly bobbed her head up and down. “Okay, but let’s not forget, I am always on your side. Always.”

Amelia tried to return a tiny smile and then she obliged her aunt to follow her down the stairs. Entering the kitchen, Marcus was nervously walking to and fro, his face red with fury.

“There she is!” he snarled, looking clearly angry at Amelia’s haggard look.

He went on “I suppose you think you can sleep the day away after what happened last night.”

“Marcus, that’s enough,” Selena interrupted him her voice was deadly serious.

“It does not take any great strength to be cruel,”

Selena stormed at him, “She’s been through enough without you adding to it.”

“Adding to it?” Marcus snickered, his focus on Amelia the entire time.

Marcus went on “She deserves this shame! And much more”.

He continued “Outwearing her equals and prancing and boasting around the hall as if she belonged to the pack, only to be turned away by the alpha. She’s an embarrassment to this family.”

Amelia clench her lips and realize that once more she had to let herself cry.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a tearful voice.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it!” Marcus raised his voice.

“Since the day you were born, you have only been paying shame to this family!’ Perhaps it is high time you left this pack and did not subject the rest of us to further embarrassment!” Marcus spat.

Blood red was the look that Selena gave before she inserted herself between Marcus and Amelia.

“No one will speak to her like that when I am here! She is one of us and she will not be moving anywhere anytime soon. She is part of this family,” Selena shot back.

Marcus’s face contorted into a look of disdain. “Family? Nothing you wouldn’t expect from a half-breed who can’t even shapeshift. She’s no niece of mine.”

Amelia was in tears.

Suddenly the front door opened and cold wind blew into the room. On the door stood Darius, the second in command to Andre and he had a serious look on his face.

“sorry, am I interrupting something,” Darius asked, his eyes shifting even from left to right between the three of them.

Selena drew a long breathe and tried to compose herself. “Not at all, Darius.”

Quickly Amelia tried to wipe off her tears.

After pausing for a long time looking at Selena, Darius took his gaze to Amelia before coming back to Selena. “I came to have a conversation with Amelia, in particular. Mind if we talk outside?"

Amelia looked at her aunt and said nothing more than to share an uncertain look before slowly nodding. "Sure."

When they got out into the open, in the fresh morning air on the porch, it was obvious that the internal pressure has actually increased. Leaning on the railing, Darius looked at Amelia and for the first time, really sized her up.

“Hello sweetheart, how are you?” He asked curiously.

“I wanted to check on you”, he said gently, not like his usual self. “After what happened last night.”

In response Amelia bowed her head and her hands began to twist. “I’m fine,” she lied.

Darius took a deep breath and pushed his dark hair off his face. "No, you're not. And I don't blame you. What Andre did was unconventional."

"Unexpected?" Amelia erupted into a harsh chuckle.

“Everyone expected him to turn me down. If you throw me to the devils I know I will be the weakest link in the pack.” Amelia replied.

“No you’re not,” Darius said the last part with absolute sincerity etched in his eyes.

Darius went on: “You have suffered so much more than anybody and you live. That takes strength."

Amelia looked up, blinked at the new seriousness in his tone. "Then why did he reject me? If the moon decided I was the one he wanted why wouldn’t he take the next step?

Darius's expression darkened. “That’s what I am going to find out.”

"Find out?" Amelia asked.

“And I suggest , you flee, before something bad happens, just a break, you need rest, Amelia,” Darius said.

Amelia allowed that thought to penetrate into her head as she looked at Darius.

“Think about it,” Darius said. And he left.

At Andre’s court, was a haunting memory from hours of that night weighted in his shoulders with a decision.

Darius walked in.

"What do you want?" he growled.

“You are going to destroy yourself. And perhaps yourself along with the pack if you take Amelia an outcast as your mate” Darius said.

Sudden fury passed through his eyes. "I don't need lectures."

“If that is the case, then you need the truth,” Darius retorted.

“Now perhaps the moon went out on the wrong side of things, some kind of harmless false illumination they use with each other and Amelia is probably the jinx to the pack – just consider it!”

"So what should I do?" Andre asked.

“Down, as alpha, and I shall save guard your throne for you, and when you had found that perfect female to be your mate, then come back again,” chuckled Darius.

Andre tried to look away but before he could say a word, a spine chilling howl sounded from the forest’s perimeter.

Andre faces stiffening, their eyes staring at each other, Andre’s icy blue, Darius’s a deeper blue. "That wasn't one of ours."

Darius replied, “No.” And it's getting closer. it’s the rogue.”

“I will handle the situation, met me at the outskirts of the territory, let us defend against the enemy,” Andre said.

Darius nodded.

Returning to the Amelia court, she looked at the forest out the window with the cold voice of a tree singing conspiratorial words on the wind. She could not eliminate the high pitched sense that someone or something was on its look out for her.

The far cry which reached her ears Was enough to freeze her heart.

"Amelia……….” A voice called.