Brutal Couple

Chapter 1

Five Years Later.

At the very edge of the woods, perched precariously atop a rocky outcrop, Rebecca relaxed. It only took one stumble for her to have problems for the following few weeks. Even though her wolf was able to withstand a significant amount of agony and damage, there was a breaking point at which even she would perish. It's not that she ever seriously entertained the idea of leaping off the cliff. None at all. Simply put, she delighted in nothing more than taking in the expansive vistas afforded by this perch.

She was able to make out the twinkling lights of the few towns that were scattered across the landscape in the distance. From this vantage point, it didn't look like there was much of a distance between them, but in reality, there were several hours of travel time between the two locations. During the time of the full moon, this was how she spent a significant portion of her time. It was all that she could muster up the strength for.

Her wolf was f*******n to join the pack and had to remain separate from them. Ever since Phoenix had turned them down, it had been difficult for her wolf to even want to participate in the monthly moon run. She blamed it on Phoenix. Her parents disliked how distant she was from them. They also didn't like the fact that whenever the alpha came to town, she made sure to keep her distance from him as much as humanly possible. She had taken a tent with her and gone hiking for more than a week each of the three previous times that he had visited the town.

The time spent in the wilderness, away from the rest of the pack, had proven to be a very interesting adventure. Daniel, her friend, often came to get her. Additionally, he did not appreciate her reluctance to interact with him. She was aware that he was displeased that they did not have a romantic relationship. Rebecca was unaware of the fact that he had a massive crush on her back when they were in high school; however, he did. After he had told her how he felt, which took place twenty-four hours after the ultimate rejection, she continued to pursue the relationship. She was powerless to stop it, and she had no choice but to disappoint him. There was no way that they could have been together under any circumstances. Daniel had understood. They continued to be friends, despite the fact that she actively pursued the possibility of pairing him with another individual. She also never let him get too close to her, which is another thing he was never allowed to do.

In point of fact, there were quite a few things that she did now that helped her stand out from the rest of the pack.

It had taken her a whole year to piece together the fact that the hardware store was the one location in town that Phoenix Marshall never went to when he visited, but she finally realized it. She had worked at the library, the café, the diner, and the bar before deciding to settle on the position of working at the hardware store, where she had been employed for the past four years. She had quit her job at the library, then the café, then the diner, and finally the bar. Additionally, she exhibited a high level of competence in the area. Even though Rebecca loathed it with all of her being, she did her best to assist the rest of the pack whenever they came into the store and she also fulfilled some online orders when necessary. John, the proprietor, was a pleasant individual to deal with. He was honest in addition to being fair.

Although she had not been able to move out of her parents' house just yet, she was getting very close to being able to afford her own apartment. In point of fact, she possessed an adequate amount of financial resources; what prevented her from acting was a choice. A selection to make. To break away from the group permanently and begin life anew, or to remain with them.

She looked in the direction of the two towns while simultaneously biting her lip. Some wolves, like Phoenix, were able to make it through their lives apart from their pack. Being by oneself didn't have any negative consequences at all. Of course, the difficulty would lie in having to face the world by oneself. She was looking forward to everything else about it except for that one part. In point of fact, it was something that gave her a little cause for concern.

She took a deep breath, tucked some of her hair behind her ears, and tried her best to persuade herself that everything was fine and that she was happy. She hadn't confided in a single person about what had taken place earlier in the evening. She was looking up at the full moon when she felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She closed them as she continued to stare at the moon. Crying never helped, but it did bring back the painful memory every time there was a full moon. She didn't have anyone to talk to because even her partner didn't want anything to do with her.

In an effort to starve herself, Rebecca had attempted to do so. She had done everything in her power to alter her appearance, but the weight wouldn't budge no matter what she did. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Stupid," was the only word she could muster.

"What could possibly be so foolish?"

When she turned around, she saw Daniel approaching her in the distance. He was wearing a pair of shorts as his attire at the time. Neither Rebecca nor anyone else was exposed any longer. After spending an entire week figuring out the spots in the woods where she frequently stopped during the full moon, she kept a crop top and shorts close by. She wore these items whenever she went into the woods.

“Nothing is stupid,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Figured you were here. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine.”

Daniel dropped down beside her. “Damn, that’s a pretty sight.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go on a date?” she asked.

“Nah, no date for me. I decided to change it.”

“Daniel, you can’t keep doing that to a girl.”

“And with the full moon and the run, I’m not going to ruin the moment with emotions already running high. If she doesn’t want to see me, then it wasn’t meant to be. End of story.”

She tutted. “How do you expect to find your mate without dating?”

“Why aren’tyoudating?”

“I don’t want to find my mate,” she said. The lie formed easily on her lips.

“Come on, Rebecca . Everyone wants to find their mate. None of us wants to end up sad and lonely.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll go out and find my mate when the time is right. I have a little faith.”

He chuckled. “Is that why you won’t move out of your parents’ house?”

“There are more people out there, Daniel. More to life than the pack, and it’s been five years.” It was technically a lie.

No one knew that Phoenix was her soulmate … her fated mate. How cruel could the fates be?

“Maybe I should go with you,” he said. “Let’s face it, the past five years have been a bit of a bust. None of the women here are my mate.”

She shrugged. “They might not have turned yet.”

“True, but that means my woman is going to be so damn young.” He groaned. “I’ll feel like a freaking pervert.”

She chuckled. “Is that your problem? Feeling like a p*****t?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

She thought about it. “I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“If my mate isn’t of age yet, that could mean yours isn’t either.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “We do not need to have this conversation about mates right now, do we.”

All she could see was Phoenix. Her true mate.

“Aren’t you interested in finding out where your mate is?”

“No, not really.” She got to her feet. “I’m heading back. Are you coming?”

“Of course. Heights scare the f*****g s**t out of me. I don’t know how you do it.”

The moment he got to his feet, he rushed toward her and wrapped his arms across her shoulders. “Maybe we should make some kind of pact.”

“Stop it, Daniel.”

"Come on now. You are unmated. I am unmated. We both need someone to talk to. We ought to come to an agreement to mate if, when we're like forty years old, we still haven't found a partner.

"And then have to deal with that kind of rejection as well when your true mate unexpectedly makes an appearance? Thank you very much, but no.

"As well?" Daniel asked. "Have you encountered any other forms of hostility or humiliation?"

“Huh?”

"You just said that you'd have to deal with that kind of rejection as well. What does that mean? I'm just curious to know who else has turned you down. Or for what you've been turned down for?"

She licked her lips as she searched her memory for a fib that would be convincing enough for him to abandon her. She had no capacity for thought. Her thoughts were scattered and disorganized.

"Daniel, this has been a very long night. I misspoke. It amounts to nothing. Trust me." She tried very hard to c***k a smile on her face. She yanked his arm off her shoulder by giving it a shove. "Come on now. I'll race you."

She started running in the opposite direction of the town before she gave him any more time to question her further. She did not transform back into her wolf form. Rebecca craved the distraction that running provided, as well as the sensation of her body pulsing with the energy that she was expending. After each impact with the ground, she felt a pulsating heat spread throughout her entire body. Each time she took a step, the ground beneath her feet became deeper. She picked up her pace, enjoying the sensation of being one with the ground, the breeze, and the liberating act of simply running. Simply to be free was all that she desired.

She had been held captive and imprisoned for a period of five years with this dreadful secret. The shame that came from realizing that he did not want her. The pack's dominant male did not desire to have her around.

It is now time to proceed.

Rebecca came to a halt suddenly as soon as they emerged from the forest after Daniel had closed the gap between them and had joined her in her pursuit of the woman.

At the edge of the forest, Phoenix could be seen standing there with his arms folded. He didn't look happy. It had been five years since the last time she was able to get this close to him. She had run away as soon as she had the opportunity to do so. She inhaled deeply and then slowly looked up until she met his gaze, at which point she quickly glanced away from him. She was clueless as to the reason he was there, and she had no interest in finding out.