Rejected and Claimed by his Best Friend, Book 1

Chapter 12

Remi

The air was thick with the scent of pine and fresh earth, but I could barely breathe.

I had never seen Alice like this before. She had trained harder than anyone I’d known, but today… something was off. It wasn’t just her body that was showing signs of exhaustion—it was her mind. She was restless, and distracted, and every time I caught her eyes, I saw a storm brewing.

It was difficult for me to ignore. Her inner turmoil had become so palpable that even Winter’s usually calm presence in Alice’s mind seemed to be agitated. The bond between them had grown, but I could tell that something was weighing heavily on Alice, something she hadn’t shared with me. I didn’t push, but I couldn’t stand watching her struggle in silence any longer.

“Come on,” I said, my voice firm yet gentle as I stood from my position on the edge of the clearing. “Enough for today. Let’s take a break.”

She didn’t argue, which in itself was unusual. Normally, Alice would push herself until she couldn’t move. But today, she barely lifted her head, her gaze lost in the distance.

We moved to a shaded area of the training grounds, the quiet hum of the forest surrounding us. The pack was busy, most of them scattered across the territory doing their tasks, but even in the silence, I could feel the unease among us all. The air was charged with the knowledge that everything we were doing—everything Alice was training for—was leading to something much bigger than any of us could truly understand.

Sitting down beside her, I resisted the urge to reach for her hand. She was still distant, her thoughts swirling, and I didn’t want to push her when she wasn’t ready.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked gently, studying her face.

Alice exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I can do this, Remi. The thought of going back to Silvermoon… I’m not sure I’m strong enough. They’ve done so much for me. To my family. To everyone who ever cared about me.”

I heard the bitterness in her voice, the hurt she was still carrying with her. The pain wasn’t something I could just wish away. No, this kind of hurt took time—time and a willingness to face it head-on, something Alice had been reluctant to do until now.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” I said quietly, my voice dropping lower as I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. “You have me. You have Winter. And you have this pack. We’re here for you. No matter what happens.”

She looked up at me then, her eyes searching mine as if trying to find something she hadn’t seen before. Something she hadn’t yet let herself believe.

“I know,” she whispered. “But the pain... it’s not just about me. It’s about what they did to my mother. What they did to the pack. It’s about how they abandoned me. I was nothing to them, Remi. I was never anything to them. And I don’t know if I can face that again.”

The rawness in her voice hit me like a punch to the gut. I could feel her pain so clearly, and I wanted nothing more than to take it all away for her. But I couldn’t. All I could do was be here. Stand by her side and help her through the storm.

“I understand,” I said softly. “I know it’s not just about you. But you don’t have to carry the weight of it all. Not anymore. This is our fight now. Not just yours. We will do this together. And when it’s over, you’ll have everything you deserve.”

She nodded slowly, her gaze softening, but I could tell that doubt was still there, lurking just beneath the surface. She didn’t believe me fully yet—not in herself, not in what was possible. But that was okay. She would, in time.

“Remi, I…” Alice hesitated, her eyes flicking away from mine as if she were afraid to say the words. But I didn’t need her to finish. I already knew what she was thinking.

“I know,” I said, brushing my thumb lightly against her hand. “You’re scared. And that’s okay. You’re allowed to be. But you’ve already done so much. And I’m proud of you.”

She squeezed my hand lightly, her face softening for the first time all morning. It was a small thing, but it was everything. It was the glimmer of hope I’d been waiting for.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For being so... distant. I didn’t mean to shut you out.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I said, brushing her hair back from her face. “You’ve been through more than anyone should ever go through. I’m not going anywhere. You can take all the time you need.”

I wanted to say more—wanted to promise her that everything would be okay, but I knew that words alone wouldn’t be enough. They never were. This wasn’t something we could just fix with promises. This was something we would have to face together, no matter how hard it got.

“I’ll never leave you, Alice,” I said, my voice low, steady. “No matter what happens, I’m with you. And so is Winter.”

She looked up at me then, a flicker of trust passing between us. “I know,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just don’t know if I can face him. I don’t know if I can face Josh.”

I clenched my jaw at the mention of Josh’s name. There was so much I wanted to say about him—about how much he had hurt Alice and how much I wanted to make him pay for it. But I knew this wasn’t about me, and it wasn’t about him. It was about Alice finding the strength to move on, to embrace the future that was ahead of her.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” I said, offering her a small, reassuring smile. “We’ll deal with Josh when the time comes. But right now, we focus on you. And you’re ready for this.”

Alice didn’t say anything, but she nodded again, and this time, I saw it—she believed me, just a little bit more than before. It was the beginning of her acceptance, of the trust she had in me, and herself.

And that was enough.

---