Rejected and Claimed by his Best Friend, Book 1

Chapter 5

Alice

I sat up in the small bed that was now mine in the Crescent Moon pack’s guest room. The sheets were soft, the blanket thick and warm, but I couldn’t get comfortable. I rolled over, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts a whirlwind.

It felt unreal. Everything felt unreal.

The way I had ended up here—safe, for the first time in what felt like forever—and with Remi. Remi, who had come out of nowhere, had swooped in, saved me from the wreckage of Silvermoon, and had become a part of my life in the span of one night.

I wanted to be grateful. I knew I should be. But my heart wasn’t ready. The bond I felt with Remi was undeniable, but my mind was still reeling from the events of last night.

Josh. My so-called mate, who had rejected me in front of everyone. I had thought I would die from the pain. When I heard those words, my world had shattered. He was supposed to be the one who cared about me, the one who would be my strength. But he wasn’t. I wasn’t even good enough to be claimed by him. My stomach twisted as I thought about him with Harmonie. The way he had looked at me like I was some sort of joke.

My wolf, Winter, growled low in my chest at the thought, the anger simmering between us. Winter hadn’t spoken much since that night—she was still too raw, still too confused—but I could feel her dislike for Josh, her disgust at how he had treated me. And now, here I was, in Remi’s pack, with a bond forming between us that made me feel both confused and terrified.

Remi wasn’t like Josh. He wasn’t cruel or careless. He didn’t treat me like I was less than, like I didn’t belong. Remi saw me, saw who I could be, and he was willing to help me find that version of myself. But I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that. Not yet.

I rolled over onto my side, curling into a ball to try to push away the cold emptiness that seemed to fill my chest. It wasn’t just Josh’s rejection. It was everything. My father’s cold indifference, the pack’s disdain, Harmonie’s cruelty. They had all shaped me into this broken thing, a creature who couldn’t fit into their world. And now Remi, with all his warmth and strength, was trying to show me a new one.

But I didn’t know how to live in it. I didn’t know how to be a part of something that wasn’t tainted by pain.

The door creaked open, and I froze, turning to see Remi standing in the doorway. His silhouette was dark against the pale light of the hallway, but I could feel the heat of his presence even from here. The pull between us was stronger when he was near, like gravity. My pulse quickened, and I felt my body tense in response, even though my mind wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“Can I come in?” Remi asked, his voice low and hesitant.

I swallowed, trying to push away the knot in my throat. I nodded, unsure of what to say. Remi walked in, closing the door behind him quietly, and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a respectful distance. He didn’t touch me, but the space between us felt charged with something I couldn’t quite name.

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his dark eyes searching mine.

I hesitated. The question was simple enough, but I didn’t know how to answer. “I don’t know. I guess... I’m still in shock.” I shrugged, trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a million things on my mind. “Everything happened so fast. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Remi nodded, his gaze never leaving me. “It’s a lot to process. I won’t rush you, Alice. But I want you to know that I’m here. You don’t have to do this alone.”

I couldn’t stop myself from looking away. His words made my chest ache. I had wanted to hear something like that my whole life. Someone telling me I wasn’t alone, that I mattered. But I wasn’t sure how to accept it yet. Not with everything that had happened.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I whispered, barely able to meet his eyes. “The bond. The... everything. It’s just too much.”

Remi’s jaw tightened for a moment, but then his expression softened, and he reached out, resting his hand lightly on mine. I tensed at the touch, but I didn’t pull away. There was something calming about his presence, even if my heart was still unsure.

“You don’t have to be ready yet,” he said quietly. “We’ll take this one step at a time. No pressure.”

I nodded, though the tightness in my chest didn’t ease. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel the bond. I did. Winter had been whispering to me ever since that first moment we met, urging me to embrace it. To accept Remi. And deep down, I knew I wanted to. But my fears, my doubts, kept clawing at me. I didn’t know how to trust. I didn’t know if I could ever be the person Remi saw in me.

“There’s something I need to show you,” Remi said after a long moment, breaking the silence.

I looked up, confused. “What?”

“Come with me,” he said softly, rising from the bed. “I think you’re ready to see something.”

I frowned but stood up, following him out of the room. Remi led me down the hallway, and I could feel his presence at my back, steady and comforting. We walked through the house until we reached the back door that led out into the woods. The night air was cool, and the sky above was lit with stars.

“I thought you might want to see this,” he said, pushing open the door and stepping outside.

The forest was quiet, save for the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. The scent of pine and earth filled my senses, grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. As we walked further into the trees, I realized we were heading toward the clearing at the edge of the pack’s territory—the same place where I had first shifted into my wolf, Winter.

“I’ve been here before,” I said quietly, looking around.

Remi nodded. “I know. But tonight’s different. Tonight, I think you’ll feel the pull stronger.”

I stopped walking, my heart beating Alice

faster as I glanced at him, confusion and excitement mixing inside me. “The pull?”

Remi smiled slightly, his gaze softening. “The bond. It’s not just between you and me, Alice. It’s between you and Winter too.”

Suddenly, I understood. The pull I had felt earlier—the one that had tugged at my chest when I thought about Josh and Harmonie—it wasn’t just the mate bond. It was something else, something more. Something deeper.

And as we stood in the clearing, I felt it again. The pull. The tug. Winter’s presence within me, her energy swirling just beneath the surface.

I felt connected. Whole.

But there was still so much I didn’t understand.

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