Rejected

NADIA

I open my eyes, seeing a crisp, blue sky. I sit up slowly, glancing around at the trees before I notice Alpha Lynch. He’s curled up beside me in the grass, sleeping peacefully.

My eyes drift over him, taking the opportunity to get a good look at him. The scrubs he’s wearing are strained over toned muscles and barely long enough to fit his tall frame. My fingers itch to brush a lock of dark hair out of his eyes.

Instead, I reach forward, placing my hand on his shoulder and gently shake him.

“Alpha? Alpha Lynch?”

His eyes jerk open, and he lets out a disapproving snarl. I quickly recoil, my body going rigid. He blinks a few times and rubs his eyes.

“Nadia?”

“I-I didn’t mean to startle you, Alpha,” I say, pulling the blanket tightly around me.

He sits up and stretches, giving me a half-smile.

“Please just call me Liam. I should be the one apologizing. My wolf is not fond of mornings.”

I smile nervously. I look around, taking in the dense trees and fresh scent of the forest. Being out in nature gives me comfort, but the last thing I remember is bright, florescent lights and pain.

“What are we doing out here?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” he yawns. “You were hurt pretty badly. I took you to the hospital, but you weren’t healing fast enough. Your aunt called your mother, and she said to get you out under the moon.”

He stands and offers me his hand. I take it without hesitation and adjust my blanket so that it’s wrapped over my shoulders, covering my hospital gown. I know without looking that my wounds are healed, but I hesitate to share why with the alpha just yet.

“If my mother is coming, things must have been pretty bad.”

“You were dying, Nadia. Do you remember anything?” His eyes search mine, looking for answers.

I hesitate, running through my memories of last night. “I remember being in pain… and then…and then nothing.”

He eyes me suspiciously, like he knows that I’m holding something back.

“Nadia, you glowed under the moon and miraculously were healed. How?” We stand a moment in silence. “You can tell me. I promise I won’t judge you,” he sighs.

I quickly look down at my feet, digging them into the soft soil. The feel of the earth grounds me, and for a moment I think about telling him the truth. About how I’m goddess-blessed with the ability to heal, but it comes with a cost.

Saving those children by harnessing my wolf’s strength drained me, and that drain on my energy nearly cost my life.

Magic is all about balance. Every time I access these powers, the cost becomes greater. My eyes flick to him, patiently waiting for me to answer.

“Maybe the Goddess took pity on me,” I mutter. “I…I had a really strange dream while I was out, maybe it has something to do with it.”

He doesn’t look like he believes me, but he doesn’t say anything else as we head back to the hospital. They discharge me, and Liam gives me a ride back to my aunts.

The drive is quiet. I stare out the window, wondering what my mother will tell them.

We arrive and I notice my mother’s vehicle in the driveway. She’s on the porch swing with Aunt Sandy. Liam springs out of the car, rushes around to open my door, and helps me out. I give him a look that says it’s unnecessary but take his hand anyway.

We only make it a few steps before my mother is in front of us, throwing her arms around me in that way that only a mother can.

“My sweet girl, are you okay? I was so worried!”

Sandy comes down behind her, also wrapping her arms tightly around me. Both women have rivers of tears pouring down their faces.

“Mom, I’m fine. I promise. It was just a random rogue attack.”

Liam shifts nervously on his feet beside me. He clears his throat.

“I think you need you to tell me what’s going on,” he says. “Both of you.”

His words shatter the comforting moment between us, and a mask of regret and sorrow falls over my mother’s face.

“We should head inside. This…this is not something for prying ears.” She glances around at the neighbors watching from their yards and windows.

We head into the house and take seats in the living room. My mother draws a deep breath, giving me a quick look before diving right in.

“When Nadia was born, she came much too early. She was so small and frail. Her little body and spirit fought so hard, but it was quickly becoming a losing battle. Her father and I could not bear the thought of having to say goodbye. It would have destroyed us. We prayed to the Goddess for help.”

I reach over, taking my mother’s hand in mine as her voice chokes up at the memory. I’ve heard this story a thousand times. How my parents prayed to the Goddess for help, and she granted them their wish, allowing me to live and granting me the ability to heal but not the ability to produce an heir.

“But our prayers went unanswered,” my mother continued, looking away from me.

My brow furrows. “Wait, you always told me the Goddess granted your wish.”

My mother hesitates, squeezing my hand and bringing her eyes to mine. “That part is true, but there’s more that I never told you. As a last resort, when things got dire and you were on the brink of death, we sought out…other powers to save you.

“We did take you to the sacred grove where our mating ceremony took place, just as I told you, but we didn’t draw power from the land. The power used to save you was…it was from an enchantress. She used her power to heal you but didn’t mention the…side effects…of her spell until after. By then it was too late. The damage had been done.”

“What were the side effects of the enchantress’s spell?” Liam asks.

My mother glances quickly at him before settling her eyes back on me. I stare at her, shocked by this new information.

“I can’t bear children,” I say softly, glancing at him. “I was told the Goddess had to pull the magic to save me from within, using the potential for life within my womb to gift me life, but it took all of it to save me. Because I can’t produce an heir, I was forsaken by the Goddess.”

“She did not forsake you, Nadia. You were considered tainted by the enchantress’s magic, but the Goddess still blessed you with the ability to heal others and to be healed beneath the light of the moon.

“You used too much of your energy when fighting those rogues, so you had nothing left heal yourself without recharging. That’s why I told you to take her outside, Sandy,” she says, glancing at my aunt. “It was the only way to ensure she would heal before it was too late.”

Both my aunt and Liam are staring at me. I swallow looking away for a moment before asking the question I’m not sure I want the answer to.