The Rejected Mate’s Dark Rise

7

Jane

"You'll be fine, my precious girl. I'm sure you'll meet that special someone someday," she said, touching my face gently.

"Mom," I said, taking a deep breath. She could see the worry in my eyes.

"Is something wrong, Jane?" she asked with concern. "Or are you still thinking about your father?"

"No," I replied quickly. "I am thinking about something else." I paused, feeling nervous. "Your sister. Will she actually like me?"

Ever since I was little, I had never met my mother's sister. All I knew was her name was Karen.

Every time my mother wanted to take me to visit her, I always said no. I thought her pack wouldn't be any different from ours. I was scared of being known as a failure in her pack too.

"Of course she will like you. Karen loves you already, Jane. She will treat you like her own daughter," Mother announced. "Her husband isn't anything like our Alpha, or your Dad, or that terrible Alpha who was your mate. Not everyone in the world is the same, my child."

She rubbed the back of my hands with her warm fingers. "You will love it there. The air in their pack is different. It's clean and fresh and full of hope."

I smiled, relieved by her words. I hoped with all my heart that I would find peace and love in this new place.

We talked and talked until the bus finally arrived. I never imagined there would be a day when I would have to say goodbye to my mother, but right now I had no other choice. I would never be happy as long as I lived in that horrible pack that treated me like garbage.

As for my mate, I hated him so much right now that I wished I had never met him. I knew I would return here someday, but I would be stronger then, and my bleeding heart would be healed. Time heals all wounds, or at least that's what people say.

I said my goodbyes to Mother as I got onto the bus. I waved at her through the bus window until she was just a tiny dot and then nothing at all.

It was a long three-hour ride before I finally arrived at my aunt's pack. The bus was bumpy and smelled weird, but I didn't care. I was going somewhere new, somewhere that might actually want me.

To my complete surprise, when I got off the bus, there were people waiting for me. Real people who were actually happy to see me.

"Welcome to Moonstone Pack," a kind voice said. "I am Alpha Tommy." He was a tall man with gray hair and the warmest smile I had ever seen from any alpha.

"Thank you, Alpha," I replied. I couldn't believe how warm and welcoming he was being to me. It had been so long since anyone besides my mother treated me with such kindness.

"We are family. You can call me Uncle," he said with a big smile.

"Okay, Sir," I replied quickly, then covered my mouth with my hands because I said the wrong thing.

"Call me Uncle," he repeated gently, not angry at all.

"Okay, Uncle," I finally said, and he nodded happily.

"Welcome home, baby girl." A sweet voice spoke beside him. The voice sounded just like my mother's, and it made my heart feel warm. "I'm your aunt Karen."

She took my hand in hers before pulling me into a motherly hug that felt so warm and safe. It was like being hugged by my mother, but different somehow.

"Thank you, Aunt," I responded, hugging her back as tight as I could.

The Moonstone Pack was like something from a beautiful dream. It had a welcoming and peaceful feeling everywhere, with lots of green trees and pretty cottages that looked like real homes where people were actually happy.

The people in the pack said hello to me with real smiles, their eyes full of curiosity and kindness instead of judgment and hate.

It felt so different from the dark, oppressive place I had left behind. For the first time in so long, I felt a tiny bit of hope growing in my chest.

Aunt Karen showed me to my room, and it was beautiful. She also introduced me to her children, and they were so nice to me.

Amira was the youngest, and she was my age. She was still looking for her mate, and she was such a sweet, innocent girl. But she thought finding a mate would solve all her problems and make her life perfect.

I didn't want to tell her the truth about mates right away. From my own terrible experience, I knew that mates could be awful, and being stuck with someone like my horrible mate could turn your whole life into a nightmare.

"Well, I don't think mates are as wonderful as people make them out to be," I finally told her one sunny afternoon as we sat by the beautiful pool.

"Jane, have you found your mate?" she asked with an excited smile.

"No. I have never met my mate, and I don't think he will be anything special," I lied. I was still hurting so much inside, and it was too hard to admit to her that I got rejected by my mate like I was worthless trash.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at me with concern. "Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?"

"No," I whispered, looking down at my hands.

"Tell me the truth, Jane. Did you get rejected by your mate?"

What? How did she know? Did I give myself away?

"I don't want you to lie to me," she said gently but firmly. "Do you have a mate?"

"Yes," I finally replied, opening up to her. "I already met my mate, but he rejected me like I was nothing. He even went as far as embarrassing me in front of everyone at the pack celebration. He made me feel like the most worthless person in the world."

"What?" she said, her voice full of anger and shock. "Who the hell does he think he is? What kind of terrible person does that? Did he tell you why he rejected you?"

"Because he thinks I am completely useless," I said quietly, my voice full of shame. "I have no wolf, so he thinks I'm not good enough for him."

"What a jerk! He doesn't deserve you at all, and he deserves to rot in hell for what he did to you. I promise to help you get your revenge when I meet that horrible person."

"Thank you." I smiled at her sweet innocence and fierce loyalty.

Amira became like a wonderful sister to me. I felt loved and treasured by all the pack members, even though I had no wolf and nothing to offer them.

They never treated me badly or made me feel like an outsider. I didn't have to hide or feel ashamed of who I was. This place was becoming my real home, and I loved every single thing about it.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I actually belonged somewhere.