Rejected by the Alpha

Chapter 18 - Never alone

To say it was strange to wake up in the pack house would be an understatement. Everything that had happened the night before felt like a dream but it was hard to deny when I was waking up where I was. I was exhausted having struggled to gain sleep last night. I had tossed and turned unable to stop thinking about that boy. I really wished that it had been a dream. I buried my head under the covers for a moment but I wasn't able to hide for long before there was a knock at the door. I got up to open it to find Judith grinning at me. "Morning princess!" she said. "The breakfast buffet has been served. You should come grab some."

"Are you sure I'm allowed?" I asked her.

"Of course. The Alpha himself directed me to invite you".

"I don't even know why I'm here," I told her. It had all seemed to make sense last night but in the cold light of day I was less than certain.

Her smile softened, "It was too late last night for you to go home. You're not the only one out of place this morning. Come eat with us."

I shrugged. "Okay," I said. I still wore the same clothes from the night before as I had no others but a bit of food in my belly before I walked home to Rayn was not a terrible idea.

A long table of breakfast foods was laid out in the dining hall. There was cold meat, hot meats, various different breads, jams and cheeses. There were scrambled eggs, boiled eggs and fried eggs. There was cereal and fruit. I noticed that people of all sorts of different ranks were taking food from the table. I saw Natalia picking at a small plate of food and she glared at me as I entered. If looks could kill I would have dropped dead in that instant. I was certain that she would have said something to me if it wasn't for the fact that Archer was standing next to her. He smiled when he saw me and approached me."Thank you for staying the night, I hope you were comfortable," He said.

"I was thank you but now I'm just grabbing food and heading back to Rayns."

"Of course. I just want to tell you that after you left, I thought about how to set the trap you had spoke about. I'm going to put plans in motion," he said.

"That's good," I said but then I frowned noticing that his eyes were a little bloodshot. "Have you even slept?" I asked him. It was late when I had gone to my room and so if he had stayed up working on plans, it seemed unlikely that he would have had enough rest.

Archer shrugged, "Not much but I don't really have the time for it anyway."

I groaned, "Please look after yourself," I told him "We need a functional alpha."

Archer chuckled, "A functional alpha? Damn. Where do you find one of those?"

That made me smile a little. It was nice to see him taking himself a little less seriously.

"I have a date so I better go," I told him and I turned to place some food in napkin so I could take it with me.

"A date?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Of sorts. Me and Sebastian meet every weekday morning."

"I see," he replied.

"But hey, I hope you have a good day Archer," I told him, feeling that in the night we seemed to have come to a better understanding of one another.

"You too Lena. Enjoy your morning with Sebastian."

The mood of the pack seemed less cheerful that morning as I made my way to Sebastian. News of what had happened last night had spread and when I had came home to Rayn she had enveloped me into a massive hug saying she had been worried about me. Many of the pack members were wearing a piece of black clothing as a sign of mourning and I was no exception. I wore plain black jeans and a black loose fitting cotton t-shirt.

When Sebastian arrived, he was dressed similarly in black and he wore a particularly heartbroken expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I am. It's just... That boy last night Lena, his name was Charlie. Jessica was his friend. I had to explain to her this morning that Charlie was gone. She asked me if it was just like her mother and when I said it was she... She just started crying and it took me ages to settle her. She was hysterical. She tried to make me promise that I wouldn't leave too but of course I can't promise that because death comes to us all and if things work the way they should, one day she will have to be without me...." Sebastian's words trailed off as he dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

I placed my hand on the back of his neck and began massaging it." Hopefully she won't have to be without you for a long time yet, " I told him.

" Yeah, " He replied and raised his head to look at me. "How was your night?" He asked and I told him what had happened. I spared some of the details about my time with Archer but updated him that we seemed to be on better terms. I didn't feel like I could tell him about the traitor as I wasn't sure I was allowed to." You always seem to be in the thick of the action Lena," Sebastian replied with a chuckle. "Does Archer know about how much time you're spending with me?" he asked.

"Yes and he's said he won't interfere."

"Good. I'm still in the running then?"

I smiled, "Yes."

My training with Trey was cut short to allow me to attend the funeral for the young boy. My heart still ached when I remembered the sound of his mother when she had discovered him. We said two prayers to the Goddess. One for the soul of the human boy Charlie and one for the soul of the wolf that went with him. He was too young to have met his wolf but that didn't mean it hadn't been there the whole time. We had a saying that was often said in funerals and that was: "How lucky it is to never be alone not even in death". I felt drained after the funeral. It had brought up so many feelings about my parents. So much so that I had decided to spend some time at my old home again. I went upstairs to my bedroom for the first time. After looking through some of my items there, I lay down on my bed. I was so tired from the events of the night before that I almost immediately fell asleep.

I woke up to a strange acrid scent in my nose. I grumbled as I tried to waken, rubbing at my eyes. Nothing could have prepared me for who stood in my old bedroom in front of the door. Natalia.

"There was only two places you could be," Natalia said clicking her tongue against her teeth. Then she widened her eyes "Or maybe three if you count Sebastians!" She laughed and it wasn't a pleasant laugh.

I growled and jumped onto my feet. In my mind, Moonlight had her hackles raised and was snarling making me feel even more on edge."What the f**k are you doing in my house Natalia?"

"You were in my f*****g house this morning so I thought I'd return the favor. You think I didn't notice you hanging around when everyone had left and trying to make a move on the Alpha. Right after a kid had died - you have no class!"

I rolled my eyes, "First of all, I wasn't trying to make a move on Archer. Honestly, it's not my fault he wants to f**k me more than you. Secondly, it's Archer's house more than yours."

"You b***h!" she spat with venom but she had no response because it was true. My use of Archer's first name and her own likely irritated her too. I hoped it did. I groaned, growing impatient.

"Oh come on Natalia. What is it that you want?!" I asked her.

"I want you gone," She replied simply. "Gone for good. Even if he rejected you now, you'd always be a threat. Being luna is what I've worked towards and dreamed of my whole life and I won't let you ruin it through some stupid by chance mate bond. So... I'm taking the matter into my own hands. Honestly I'm glad that you're here alone. There's no need for anyone else to be a casualty in this."

"What the f**k are you talking about?" I asked her. "You already fought me and it didn't go well for you."

"Oh I'm not going to fight you. You see the Rogues are attacking right now. And isn't it so unfortunate that they decide to set fire to your house when you're inside. Such a tragic accident," she replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

It was then that I realised what the acrid smell was that was burning my nose. It was alcohol and she had poured it everywhere.

My heart began pounding and I could hear the blood rushing past my ears. Time seemed to slow down and I rushed towards her at the same time as she struck a match very deliberately. She dropped the match on the floor and took a step back, slamming the door behind her. The entire room became alight with flames and the door was immediately on fire.