Rejected by my Given Alpha

Chapter Four: The Day After

I woke up slightly disoriented, needing a minute to realize I was wrapped up in Liam's arms on the couch yet again. I was really starting to wonder when it became common for me to wake up in Liam's arms on the couch. I have the best mattress in the world, and yet I'm sleeping on a couch. I decided to blame the migraine-inducing party last night.

I looked over at a clock and saw it was eleven in the morning. I was usually awake before ten, so I was a little surprised I slept in. Must have been extra tired from last night. Can't blame me, dealing with drama can be tiring.

I recalled Tyler basically announcing that I was his mate, and I rubbed my temples and groaned in frustration. No doubt Tristan would be blowing up my phone trying to find out about Tyler and me. He would no doubt use me as a peace alliance and force me to accept Tyler as my mate, regardless if I was rejected or not. I was also certain that Tristan would make sure I would just be Tyler's mate and not Luna, using the fact that I was rejected and couldn't be Luna, just his mate. I was really starting to wonder how on earth he was my mother's mate.

I untangled myself out of Liam's arms and walked up to my bedroom, intent on changing out of my pajamas that desperately needed washing. Having higher body temperatures sure does cause a lot of sweat, especially if you're being held all night by someone with the same hot temperature. I was honestly surprised I wasn't drenched in sweat.

I threw my pajamas in my hamper and changed into gray sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt that I'm pretty sure was one of Liam's I somehow got. His clothes are comfier than mine, so he sometimes lends me shirts to sleep in. I thought I had given them all back but was pleasantly surprised to still have one. It is a lot less restricting.

I threw my hair up in a ponytail, not bothering to wash it, and made sure my necklace Liam got me was still on. I usually don't sleep with necklaces on, as they can get snagged on things and break, and I was relieved to find it was still around my neck and intact. I'll have to remember to take it off tonight.

I stopped outside Brooke's room and closed my eyes, listening. I could hear her faint breathing coming from the other room, so I knew she had come back. I hadn't heard her come in, so I must have been knocked out. Usually the slightest noise can wake me. Either that, or she'd finally learn how to walk quietly. Seriously, she has the loudest footsteps out of anyone I have ever met.

Deciding that she'd slept long enough and that I was bored, I quietly opened her door and crept in. She was fast asleep, half snoring, and was sprawled out on her bed. I walked silently up to her, bent down, and inhaled deeply. "WAKE UP!"

I tugged the blanket out from underneath her so she went sprawling onto the floor. Brooke screamed as she fell to the floor, landing with a solid thud. It sounded like it left a bruise. Oh well, it will heal in a minute.

I crawled across her bed and looked down, smiling at Brooke as she rubbed her head. She glared up at me, groaning in frustration. I smiled angelicly and waved at her. "Good morning!"

"What was that for?" she demanded, standing up.

I shrugged. "I was bored and missed you."

"So you thought screaming in my ear was the best way to wake me up?" she growled.

"It only seemed fitting, as you seemed to be doing a lot of screaming with your mystery guy." I smiled innocently. I knew Brooke was hiding something, whether that was s*x or not. Regardless, her reaction would confirm my suspicion.

She glared at me. "I'm going to kill you, Hayley Kristen Evans."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "You'll have to catch me first."

I bolted out of her room with my werewolf speed, knowing she would be interrogating me soon enough about my comment. I weaved around things and dodged Liam, who came running to see what happened at Brooke's scream. Luckily, he was still waking up, so he was slightly disorientated and not able to catch me. I ducked under the counter and hid in a cabinet, surprised I could fit in such a small space. It pays to be flexible, I guess.

"Where'd you go, you little s**t," Brooke hissed as she walked past.

I smiled, knowing Brooke would have a hard time finding me. Our scents were all over the house, making it hard to pinpoint our exact locations by smell. Not to mention the laundry detergent was so strong, it could also cover our scents. It also helped that I was good at hiding, having excelled at it when I lived in the packhouse. Long story short, Tristan and alcohol are not a pleasant combination for a little girl.

Suddenly, the cabinet door flew open and I was dragged out by my feet. I yelled and kicked, successfully nailing my captor in the shin. Unfortunately, it was Liam who found me, and he has developed a high pain tolerance from the fights I put up when I'm found. He dragged me out and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me away.

"Found her!" he called.

"Put me down!" I demanded, hitting his back. "She's going to kill me for what I can only assume was guessing her secret correctly."

"You brought it on yourself," Liam said.

"I'm going to die!" I protested. "You're a traitor!"

"It's for the best," Liam mused, setting me down in front of Brooke and holding me in place.

She gave me the evil eye and folded her arms across her chest. Yep, I was a goner. "Care to tell me what that comment of yours was for?"

"Lucky guess?" I tried.

She narrowed her eyes. "No spying on me or mindlinking without permission?"

I rolled my eyes at that. "You would have felt me if I had been mindlinking. As for spying, I was too busy trying to stop a fight between Liam and Tyler. It was honesty just a guess, I promise."

You're sure it was just a guess? Brooke's voice said in my head.

I immediately knew it was a private mindlink between her and me. Definitely. You were just dancing with a guy and had been slightly secretive, so I put two and two together. Liam knows nothing, and like I said, it was only a guess.

She studied my face before nodding. "Alright, I believe you. I hate that you can so easily guess my secrets. It's annoying."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Can I know this secret?"

"No," Brooke and I said in unison. Some things are just not meant to be told.

"Hurtful," Liam said, but let me go.

I patted his arm. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."

He nodded. "I'll take your word for it. Now come on, I'll make breakfast while Brooke showers." He wrinkled his nose. "No offense, Brooke, but you reek of Tyler's pack."

She rolled her eyes and went up to shower. It made sense, as she had been with a guy from Tyler's pack, but it made me wonder why the smell bothered Liam so much. He didn't have a problem with it before. Shrugging off the thought, I followed Liam to the kitchen to help make brunch.

- - -

"Hayley, you're burning the waffles!" Liam yelled.

"Am not!" I yelled back as I took the waffles out of the waffle maker.

"Are too!" Liam said, taking the waffles away from me. He inspected them carefully and looked at me.

I put my hands on my hips and looked at him. "You're just mad because I actually made them better than you."

Liam scowled at me. "Am not!"

"Are too!" I mimicked.

He glowered at me, and I gave him a cheeky grin. He smiled, and we finished setting out for brunch. Since it was both late morning and early afternoon, we decided to make some brunch. It consisted of waffles, bacon, and sausage. Loads of sausage. What can I say? We eat a lot of protein.

Brooke came down with her wet hair in a bun and dressed like me in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Liam was walking around in just sweatpants with his shirt off. Not that I minded or anything. He was actually pretty hot shirtless.

"Smell good," Brooke said, sitting down and taking a bite out of her waffle. "Mm, the waffles are amazing. Did Hayley make them?"

"What do you all have against my waffles?" Liam said angrily.

We laughed.

"Nothing, I just make them better than you," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

Liam hit me with the dish towel, and I grinned. We sat down and ate our brunch. We talked and joked around, and after we finished, we made our way to the couch.

Sunday is our lazy day, and we usually hang out and watch movies while getting into food fights. They usually end with Brooke and I making Liam clean up all the food and making us dinner. Great best friends, aren't we? That's what happens when you're best friends with the daughters of an Alpha and Beta. They're bound to be best friends and gang together on you on everything.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked as we all flopped down on the couch.

"I have no idea," Liam said, and we turned to Brooke as we both said, "Brooke?"

"I got something in mind," she said. "Liam may not like it."

"Oh god, what is it?" Liam asked.

"Do tell," I said eagerly. "Anything that can make Liam fearful is something I gotta be a part of."

Brooke grinned. "Come with me." She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the TV. She plugged in two microphones and turned up the volume all the way up on the stereo. We picked our karaoke song and started singing songs by 'N Sync.

Liam groaned and covered his ears, but unfortunate for him, the volume was up all the way so he had to hear it, even with his werewolf hearing. He threw pillows at us, but we just kept singing louder.

After some karaoke, we played Just Dance. Liam joined in on that, as he didn't mind dancing. He, of course, lost. He just can't get the hip movements right, no matter how often Brooke and I tried to teach him. All in all, it was a fun day and got my mind off the whole Tyler situation. It would soon become one of my fondest memories with them. If only I had known it would be the last good day for a while.