Rejected by The Alpha, Claimed by Faith

Chapter 5

"Luna Catherine," I manage. "I—"

"Please, just listen. I don't have much time before Richard realizes I called you. What happened at the memorial, what Marcus did... I want you to know that not everyone in this pack agrees with how you've been treated."

"I don't understand."

"Your scholarship being revoked, your family cutting you off—it's wrong, Lily. You're a member of this pack, and you deserve better. So I'm offering you an alternative." She pauses. "Come work for the pack hospital. Dr. Frost needs an assistant for the next six months. It's a paid position with housing. You can finish your degree remotely through the accelerated program. I've already spoken to the university, and they're willing to make arrangements."

"Why?" The question comes out sharper than I intend. "Why would you help me?"

"Because I'm a mother," Luna Catherine says simply. "And because I've watched you be mistreated for five years while remaining kind and strong. You deserve a chance, Lily. And honestly? I think Dr. Frost could use someone with your skills. She says you're one of the most talented students she's ever mentored."

My mind races. Go back to Riverside Pack? Face Marcus every day? Live in the territory where everyone hates me?

But the alternative is dropping out of medical school when I'm so close to finishing.

"I need to think about it," I say.

"Of course. But Lily? Don't let fear make this decision for you. You're stronger than they realize. Stronger than you realize."

After she hangs up, I stand there for a long time, staring at nothing.

"What are you going to do?" Rose asks.

"I have no idea."

I skip my anatomy class and go to the one place I always go when I need to think—the small coffee shop on the edge of campus. It's quiet in the mornings, run by an elderly wolf couple who never ask questions.

I'm halfway through my second cup of coffee when someone sits down across from me.

I look up, expecting Zara. Instead, I find myself staring into warm amber eyes belonging to a face I don't recognize. He's around my age, maybe a year or two older, with sandy blond hair and an easy smile.

"Sorry to intrude," he says. "But you looked like you could use some company. I'm Kieran Brooks."

"Lily Monroe." I frown slightly. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet, but I'm hoping to change that." His smile widens. "I'm from Silver Creek Pack. Here, visiting my cousin who goes to school here. And you, Lily Monroe, smell like you're carrying the weight of the world."

Despite everything, I almost laugh. "That obvious?"

"To someone who's been there? Yeah." He leans back in his chair, completely at ease. "Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener, and I promise whatever you say stays between us."

There's something disarming about him. Maybe it's because he's not from my pack, doesn't know my history. Maybe it's because his amber eyes are kind instead of judgmental.

"My pack just cut off my scholarship," I hear myself saying. "I have six months until graduation, and no way to pay for it."

"That's rough." Kieran's expression turns sympathetic. "Pack politics?"

"Something like that."

"Well, for what it's worth, any pack that would treat one of their own that way doesn't deserve you." He pulls out his phone. "What's your number? I might know some people who could help with scholarship options."

I hesitate, but something in his genuine concern makes me trust him. I give him my number.

"There," he says after typing it in. "Now we're officially friends, and friends help each other out. I'll ask around about funding options. In the meantime..." He stands, grabbing his coffee. "Don't let them win, Lily. Whatever they did, whoever hurt you—don't let them take your dreams."

He leaves before I can respond, but his words echo in my mind long after he's gone.

I spend the rest of the day in the library, researching loan options and alternative scholarships. By evening, I've made my decision.

I call Luna Catherine back.

"I'll take the position," I tell her. "But I have conditions."

"Name them."

"I work directly for Dr. Frost and report only to her. I'm housed separately from the main pack areas. And Marcus stays away from me completely. I can't have him interfering with my work or making this harder than it needs to be."

"Done," Luna Catherine says without hesitation. "When can you start?"

"Two weeks. I need to wrap up my current courses and arrange things here."

"Perfect. Welcome back, Lily. And for what it's worth? I think you're making the right choice."

After we hang up, I sit in the dark library, staring at my phone.

I'm going back. Back to the pack that hates me. Back to where Elena's shadow looms over everything. Back to where Marcus will be a constant reminder of what I lost.

"This is a mistake," I whisper.

"Or," Rose says quietly, "this is exactly where we're meant to be. Trust the Moon Goddess, Lily. There's a reason she's guiding us back."

I wish I had her faith. But as I walk back to my dorm in the darkness, I can't shake the feeling that I'm walking straight into something I don't understand. Something that's going to change everything. When I get back to the room, Zara is waiting up for me.

"So?" she asks. "What are you going to do?"

I take a deep breath. "I'm going back to Riverside Pack."

"What? Are you serious? After everything they've done to you?"

"I don't have a choice, Zara. Luna Catherine offered me a position at the pack hospital. It's the only way I can finish my degree."

Zara's expression shifts from shock to worry. "What about Marcus? You'll have to see him every day."

"I made it a condition that he stays away from me. Luna Catherine agreed."

"And you trust her to enforce that?"

I don't answer, because honestly, I don't know.

"Lily," Zara says softly, sitting beside me. "I'm scared for you. Going back there... what if they hurt you again?"

"Then I'll survive it," I say, more confidently than I feel. "I always do."

But that night, as I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, doubt creeps in. Am I making the right choice? Or am I walking straight into a trap?

"Trust the process," Rose whispers. "The Moon Goddess knows what she's doing."

I close my eyes and try to believe her. But sleep is a long time coming, and when it finally does, my dreams are filled with steel-gray eyes and a voice asking,

"What if I made a mistake?"