The Last Alpha Queen (The Rejected Mate Series Book 1)

Chapter Two

My fated mate. That's what keeps me going each day through the bullying, the deeming jobs, the minuscule servings. The hate that my brother harbors for me. Onyx told me that today was the day we'd find our mate and finally be treated differently.

Accepted. Loved. Protected.

I haven't been allowed to train with the other wolves and that's been killing a piece of my soul. I secretly train by myself after the other wolves go for a run. I go over everything my father showed me, keeping in shape and feeling connected to him even just for a brief moment. It's easy not to get caught as my living quarters are a tiny shed, big enough for a cot, on the edge of my brother's property. But enough of that sad stuff, today's a happy day. I started it with Tom Holland and hopefully will end it with my mate.

I opened the door to my little shed and closed my eyes as the bright morning sun decorated my face. A small smile revealed itself as the warmth seeped into my pores. I let Onyx take over after a moment as we shifted and headed to the lake near my shed. She runs at full speed to make the few miles seem like a couple of feet. She glances down at the crystal clear water of the lake, admiring our reflection. We are a massive white wolf with piercing purple eyes. Observing the pack over the years, I've never seen a wolf quite like me and Onyx. Our size can be compared to our alpha's if not bigger, and the snowy white of our fur is a stark difference from the gray and brown of my brothers and the pack.

I shake my head and shift back, getting into the cold water. I need to do a quick rinse before I head to the pack house to help with the preparations for dinner tonight. And by help I mean, do it all while the omegas gossip about which one banged the alpha last night. He is the definition of a man slut. I think he is on a conquest to take every female wolf to bed before his mate reveals themselves. Funny story about him. I didn't always think of him in complete distaste. Once upon a time, he was my best friend, my only friend. He made the pack nicer to me or just ignore me, which I preferred. But one day, when he turned 18, he stopped talking to me and avoided me all together. Not going to lie, that one hurt. Liam and I were extremely close, and I even thought I was in love with him at one point, but it turned out I was just a charity case to make himself feel better. Or at least that's what I overheard him telling an omega when she asked what happened between us, before promptly sucking her face.

Since then, I haven't tried getting close to anyone. I keep to myself and bide my time till my mate and I can leave this place. After I clean up and change into a fresh pair of clothes, I make my way over to the pack house. I receive several sneers and jabs on my short walk, but even that can't diminish the excitement coursing through my veins.

Arriving at the back of the pack house, I let myself into the kitchen and immediately stop. The most delicious scent I have ever experienced is in the air and it has nothing to do with food. "Mate! He's here," shouts Onyx in my head. She's so excited I can mentally see her tail wagging. My eyes immediately dart across the room, glancing over the dirty dishes, and lunch spread, until I finally land on the only two people in the room. Liam and the meanest of the omegas, Lydia, are wrapped in an embrace and going at it like a pair of, excuse the pun, animals.

An involuntary growl comes out as I look at the two. What the heck was that? "Mine," shouts Onyx angrily. No. Oh no. You can't be serious. The mate I have been waiting all these years for is him? Both of their heads snap in my direction.

"What the f**k is your problem, mutt?" growls Lydia. She almost falls over as Liam releases her.

"Get out, Lydia," he says without sparing her a glance. His eyes are boring into me. Flickering from his usual brown to gold as his wolf tried to come out.

"Excuse me?" She pouts, pushing up her breast in his direction.

"You heard me, leave," the alpha command comes out in his voice and Lydia scrambles to get out of the room.

When we are finally alone, the air is thick with tension and anticipation. All I can think about is reaching out to him, touching him but I restrain myself. I can't forget how he left me and what he's been up to the past year.

"So you finally figured out I'm your mate," was all he said as he casually leans against the countertop.

Wait. He knew? Oh, my goddess. Of course, he knew. He turned 18 a year ago and would have sensed me as soon as he did. So that means all this time, with all these women, he knew. I feel sick. Onyx whimpers slightly as we both came to the same realization. He doesn't want us. He never did. My heart successfully breaks all the way at that moment. The cracks started when my parents were taken from me, spread when my brother turned his back on me, and tiny ones formed from my treatment throughout the years. But my ex-best friend walking out of my life because he found out we were mates? That's just the cherry on top.

I slowly look back up at him and see the taunting in his eyes when he sees how much he hurt me. I steel my spin and square my shoulders, anyway. "Go on then, say it," I manage to say clearly and detached. Not as if my world was crumbling around me. Small victories.

He blinks in surprise at this but it quickly morphs into disgust. "Yeah, I found out last year I was sentenced to life with a wolfless murderer as a mate. I enjoyed my time waiting for you to be finally of age for me to reject you." He chuckles at that and continues.

"You disgust me. You are weak and got your parents killed by rogues. You will bring this whole pack down with you and I won't allow that to happen. I, Liam Scott, reject you, Scarlett Blaze, as my mate and Luna of the New Moon Pack."

As he finishes that sentence, a small pain pinches my chest, and a single tear slides down my face. The rest of me is numb and Onyx lets out a pained cry before I block her connection. I don't want her to feel this pain anymore. I look at Liam's smug face for a moment as I try to find the boy who used to pick me flowers and whisper secrets to me. But all I see is the arrogant alpha and playboy. My Liam is gone, if he ever existed.

"I, Scarlett Blaze, accept your rejection. Goodbye, Liam." He falls to the ground in pain, clutching his chest. I feel a small twinge of guilt at that moment, but slowly the numbness creeps back in and I feel nothing. I turn and walk away, hearing Liam cry my name as I go, but I don't turn around. I walked straight to my brother's house and stood by the front door. Raising my hand to knock and hesitated. I made up my mind to leave this pack the moment I realized Liam knew he was my mate all this time. I was never inducted into the pack like my brother was, so I was free to go with no consequences. But a part of me couldn't fathom leaving my brother saying nothing. I hear his footsteps inside, going about his daily routine. He most likely just got back from training and is getting ready to take a shower. I slowly lowered my hand from the door as I remembered the last thing he said to me three years ago. "I wish he would have just killed you instead of our parents."

I turned and headed to my tiny shed, packing my meager belongings into my beat-up leather backpack. I took a quick look around, noting the small cot, the cracked window, and the cobwebs. It wasn't much, but I was sadly attached to the small area. It was all I had.

I breathe in deeply and turn, walking away from my small home. I take a pen and paper out of my bag, writing brief goodbyes to Ignis. I slip it under his door and I leave.

Not once looking back.