A Reject She-Wolf

Drake

I watch as the girl I’ve known for years, my sister’s best friend, walks away. Her beautiful figure disappears around the corner, heading down another hallway.

“Why does Addy always run off? I don’t bite,” I say, puzzled by her sudden departure.

Myra, my sister, shoots Macie a stern glance. “She’s been bullied again. That’s why she ran.”

I turn to Macie, the girl who’s been trying to sink her claws into me. She thinks that when I find my mate, I’ll reject her and choose Macie instead. That’s not going to happen. My parents taught me to wait for the one chosen for me by the moon goddess.

I growl at Macie. “What did you do to Addy?”

She glances at us both before flipping her hair over her shoulder and strutting off down the hall towards the cafeteria. I turn to Myra, repeating my question. She tells me what Macie said about Addy, and my blood boils. I take a deep breath to calm my wolf, and then I catch a whiff of a familiar scent. I close my eyes, inhale deeply, and when I open them, I’m looking at Myra.

“Who have you been around today, Myra?” I ask, my gaze intense.

She squirms under my scrutiny, knowing she can’t avoid answering.

“Lots of people,” she says, too quickly.

I glance down the hall where Addy disappeared. “Has she been acting strange today?”

Myra shakes her head. “No, just the usual. Except today’s her birthday and her parents didn’t do anything special for her.”

I snarl at the thought of a Beta treating their only child like a burden. Pups should be cherished, not discarded.

“I need to know something, and you better tell me the truth,” I say, grabbing her wrist.

She glances around the hallway before nodding towards an empty classroom. “Let’s talk in there. We need privacy if you’re going to ask what I think you are. Ryan, can you find Addy and keep an eye on her until we’re done?”

Ryan, my Beta, nods and looks at me for confirmation. I give him a slight nod, and he heads off down the hall.

Myra opens the classroom door and I follow her in, locking it behind us. I take a deep breath, inhaling the strong scent of honeysuckle on her clothes. My wolf starts pacing restlessly in my mind. The scent fills my veins, making my heart pound and my body shudder.

Myra lets out a long sigh. “Go ahead and ask. I think I already know the answer.”

“You said Addy turned of age today. I smelled honeysuckle this morning, and it’s strong on your clothes. Is it her scent?” I ask, leaning against a desk.

Myra paces the room, her gaze on the floor. “She’s scared, Drake. She asked me to tell you to reject her tomorrow, so she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain on her birthday.”

My wolf growls at her words, but I roar, “She said WHAT?”

Myra flinches at my outburst. “She doesn’t think she’s worthy of being your Luna. Look at her life, Drake. She feels like an outcast, unworthy of anyone. Her parents have treated her like shit, and our pack has abused her. Macie thinks it’s funny.”

I grip the edge of the desk so hard it snaps. I throw the broken piece on the floor and push away from the desk, pacing the room to calm my wolf.

“I told them to leave her alone. Don’t they respect me enough to follow my orders?” I growl.

Myra shakes her head. “Macie gives the orders. She tells the pack members she’ll protect them from your wrath. They hide behind her because she uses your name to manipulate them.”

I’m shaking with rage. Macie has been going behind my back, giving orders, promising protection from my anger. This morning, I was talking with some friends about who was behind the attack on Addy when I caught that wonderful scent. I’ve been so focused on finding it again that I forgot about my duty to protect my sister’s friend.

I slam my fist into the wall. “This ends now. Why didn’t you tell me all of this?”

Myra scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Have you been that blind, brother? Your friends have been telling you what’s been happening. They begged you to see what Macie is like when you’re not around. I’ve come to you many times asking for something to be done about the abuse. You give orders but never follow up.”

I lean against the wall, running my hands down my face. “You’re right. I’ve been so focused on my responsibilities, on making sure Dad is satisfied with my progress, that I’ve neglected other things. It’s not that I forgot, I just got caught up in my own life. My friends told me how awful Macie was, but I didn’t want to see it. I was planning to address the attack on Addy when that scent distracted me.”

Myra puts her hand on my arm. “You’ve been under a lot of pressure. Being Alpha is demanding. It takes up a lot of your time. You have a Beta to help you. Ryan says you don’t ask much of him.”

I look at the floor. “I’ve been trying to do everything myself. I don’t want to burden others with tasks they might think are beneath them.”

Myra smacks the side of my head. “That’s what they’re there for, you idiot. Look at how Dad handles things. He gives orders to his Beta, Gamma, and Omega without a second thought. They follow his orders, and they should follow yours, no matter what they think.”

“The only reason you can get away with that is because you’re my sister,” I say, rubbing the spot where she hit me.

She laughs and leans against a desk. “I know. So, what are you going to do now?”

I push off the wall and look at her. “First, we need to find my mate. Everything else will fall into place after that. She needs to know I won’t reject her.” I hear Myra sigh and I turn to her. “What? Don’t tell me you told her I would!”

She looks at me sadly. “No, I told her our parents raised you better than that. I’m just worried about how she’ll react. When we talked about it in the bathroom, she wasn’t happy.”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “So, she was the one hiding in the stall?”

“Yes. Why did you leave without confronting her?” Myra asks, smoothing her shirt.

I tap my chin. “She was hiding from me. I thought we’d meet again, so I didn’t want to force it. I want our connection to happen naturally, when we meet face to face.”

As we head towards the door, Myra pauses and looks back. “What are you going to do about Macie?”

I snarl. “I’ll deal with her. Don’t worry about that. Let’s go. I want to meet my mate in person.”

Myra giggles. “You’ve known your mate since sixth grade.”

I smile at her. “I know. She’s always caught my eye. She was so shy around me that I never pushed her. If she wanted to talk, it would be on her terms. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, she was so timid it made my heart ache for her.”

Myra unlocks the door. “We’re going dress shopping after school for my party tomorrow. Macie isn’t invited, so make sure the guards keep her out. I’ll buy Addy a dress since her parents won’t.”

I step up beside her. “No.”

She comes to an abrupt halt. “No? You’re not going to dictate what I can...”

I raise my hand, effectively silencing her. “I’m going to buy her clothes later today, and I want her to start living in the packhouse with us from today. She’s my mate, my future wife, and everyone will know her role in my life by tomorrow’s party.”

A smile begins to form on her lips. “You’ve got quite a task ahead of you. Her parents wanted her to move out today, hoping she’d move in with her mate if she found him. But imagine their reaction when they find out she’s with you.”

My smile fades. “I couldn’t care less about their opinions or reactions. She’s mine now; that’s all that matters.”

We enter the cafeteria, filling our trays with food. My gaze sweeps across the room, landing on the familiar red hair outside where they usually gather. We exit the cafeteria, and Myra dashes ahead of me. I watch as she gently takes the backpack from her trembling hands, the sweet scent hitting my nostrils. Our eyes meet, and a jolt of electricity shoots through me, nearly causing me to drop my tray.

I take a seat across from her, my voice gentle. “Addy, we need to talk.”