Verena
“So, when is the Alpha throwing us a party?” Dory asks as she walks into my room with a cheerful smile. She does not know. The only thing she knows is that I went to Elijah to tell him the good news. “You definitely have to tell me the names you are deciding on, especially if it's a girl. I don’t want our princess to have a terrible name like mine. Also I–”
“We are going to have a rejection ceremony today,” I say with a grim expression.
Dory blinks a few times, “What? That’s such a bad joke.”
My lips curve in a sad smile while I sit on the armchair, “It's not.”
The girl’s smile drops, “No, that’s not possible.”
My gaze dips to the jar she’s holding in her hand, “Did you bring the herbs I asked you to?”
Her brows pucker, “Yeah, I did. But the herbs you asked for are used to protect an unborn from any strong supernatural forces. Why would you ask for something like—” her lips stop moving as her eyes light up with realization. There are certain herbs that protect an unborn child in the womb of a mother who gets rejected from her mate. I told her to bring one of those so that no harm comes to my baby.
She stays still for a few seconds, “What? I– Are you really getting rejected?” I answer her with my silence. She stands still, as if processing everything.
“The Alpha...he’s behind this, isn’t he?” she grits her teeth. “I should have known it. Something felt off about you staying in this room, and looking so pale.” She clenches her fist.
I slowly rise from my armchair, “Dory, calm down.”
“Fuck, no!” she slams the jar into the bedside, and stomps out of the room. Shit! I run up to her. She’s going to argue with Elijah.
Stepping out of the room, I get hold of her wrist, and stop her, “Stop! Don’t do it.”
She whips her head at me, rage burning like coal in her eyes, “Luna, I respect you. But I can’t accept this. How can he do this to you? I’ll go and knock some sense into him!”
“No, no, no.” I pull her back. She is acting like a dog who has gone feral, and needs to be kept on a leash. Most of the time she is calm and rational. But when it comes to the people she cares for, she becomes hot-headed and does something regretful. If she talks back to Elijah, she can be put into the cells or even banished.
“Calm down. This decision is mutual,” I say, and she freezes. She turns to me with a face as if lightning has struck her.
“What about the child? How can you get separated when the future heir of this pack is growing inside you?” She points at my belly and I place my palm on it. Despite what the clinic said, I believe that a life is growing inside me. I can feel it in my bones. But I don’t want to tell Dory everything. She does not need to be involved in my problems.
"It's because of the new girl who joined the pack, isn’t it?” Dory asks suddenly, and I jerk my head up at her, my heart skipping a beat. I did not expect her to catch on to it so quickly. She notices my face, “You don’t need to worry about her, Luna. I’ll teach her a lesson that she’ll run out of the borders of this pack and never look back,” she says with determination.
I sigh. This girl has no sense of danger. “You’ll do nothing like that. Promise me.”
She frowns, “But—”
“I said what I said. Don’t argue with your Luna,” I will be ex-Luna soon but there is time left for the rejection ceremony. So I will use my authority to make sure Dory does not put herself in danger.
Her shoulders sag, and she reluctantly nods. “But why are you not doing anything? Will you let another girl just take everything from you?” Her words prick me. I did try, but when Elijah wants me to step out of his life, then there is nothing I can do. Even our child could not save our relationship because he does not even believe in its existence.
“It's pointless. Also, it's better to end things. Our marriage was like an agreement and since he has no use for me now, the agreement has ended.” It was a mistake. If I had known that I would be treated like this after the return of his fated mate, I would have never agreed to this marriage. Second chance mates after all are…second choice, not first.
“But Luna…” She steps closer to me, her brown eyes staring at me, “You love him, more than your own life. I know you.” Her words squeeze my chest tightly and warm tears cover my vision. She has seen how much dedicated I have been to Elijah.
I blink to push my tears back, and amidst the silence of the gloomy morning my words come out like a sad symphony, “My love is not enough.” A tear slips down my left eye.
Dory's eyes glisten with pain as she wraps her arms around me in a gentle embrace. The warmth of her act stirs something inside me, and I break down into sobs. Now that she's here, I realize how much I needed someone's presence to share my sorrow. With no parents or many friends whom I can trust to open up to, given my focus on work and Elijah, her presence feels like a cool shade after hours of walking in scorching heat.
"I am so sorry this is happening to you. If the Alpha can't see how much you have sacrificed for him, then he does not deserve you!" she cries, and I hug her tighter. It brings me some relief knowing that there's someone for me.
"Don't worry sweetheart, it's okay. I can make it." I pat Dory on the back. "Later I'll go to Elijah's room and get my stuff back, they must not want to see me in this house, and neither do I.”
Verena An hour later, I step inside Elijah’s bedroom to get all my stuff. The walls of the room make me suffocated as it reminds me of the times we have spent here. Brushing those thoughts away, I focus on my task at hand. There is no point in staying in this packhouse so I’ll pack my things and leave. The money I have saved from my stock investments will get me to stay for six months in a five-star hotel. I will use that time to find a job. Since I have always been focused on my duties as the Luna of this pack, I never got the time to pursue anything else, especially my dream to open a bakery. Now that I no longer have any duties towards the pack, I can focus on my dream and have a bakery shop of my own. Feeling a little energetic from the idea, I start to pull out all my accessories from the drawer when my eyes fall on a photo frame. Bright blue sky, palm trees and sand fill the background before which stands a couple smiling at me. The lady’s cheeks are pink, and the shine in he
Verena I smile, while my heart breaks in pain. He is so good at crushing my heart, like it's an object. “I will be there in time.” Saying that, I pull my hand away from him, engraving his touch for the last time in my head. A while later, I look at my reflection in the mirror. Dark eye bags hang under my green eyes, like someone has sucked the soul out of me. Only half an hour left before the ceremony begins, and after that, I will be separated from Elijah completely. I have mentally prepared myself for it, but physically, I am in a mess. Nixie took all my clothes and accessories, even the ones I bought myself. I am not that interested in fashion, so most of my clothes and jewelry were gifted by Elijah. So now, I have nothing to wear except this dress that I have on. My hands tremble a little in concern. Without anything, it will be hard for me to survive. But then I remind myself that I will be a mother soon. Stress is not good for the baby. I rub my belly, “Mamma promises to be s
Verena I have to fight this. If Nixie wins, my pup will be in danger. I won't let that happen. We walk down the stairs and step outside. The sky is filled with gray clouds. On the large training grounds where the air usually buzzes with excitement and the energy of warriors, there's a damp, silent atmosphere among the people who came to watch the ceremony. None of them seem sad to watch me get rejected. They've never wanted me as their Luna because I'm an orphan. I take my place in the center of the ground. The people on the left clear a path for Elijah to walk through by standing in two rows, and he stops before the space created for the ceremony. Our eyes meet for a few seconds before he turns to the crowd. “I won’t waste time on explaining what’s happening here as most of you present are already aware. But know that I won’t tolerate anyone breaking the rules. If anyone dares to say a bad word to Verena or insults her in any way, I will have your head. Rejected or not, she is s
Verena My lips part in shock. Goddess! This can’t be. The man standing there, he is my mate! I can feel it in my bones. The tall man growls, and power rolls off his muscular body as he approaches me. The people in the crowd take a step back, staring at him in shock. “Isn’t he Carlisle Cane, the Alpha of Mountain Cross Pack?” One of the ladies in the crowd asks out loud for everyone to hear, and my eyes widen. An alpha? People gasp and start talking amongst themselves. But my mind zones out, and I can only think of one thing. If Elijah is my mate, then this man being my mate can only mean one thing: my second chance mate! What kind of cruel game is this? I got rejected as someone’s second chance, only to have my own second chance mate? He approaches me and kneels on one knee. His blue eyes sparkle as they meet my green ones. Alpha Carlisle extends his hand for me to take. I want to refuse, but my body is too weak to stand on its own. So I take it, and instantly feel a spark sail
Verena Elijah shoots an intense, frosty glare at Carlisle, “Let go of her hand.” Carlisle returns his gaze with a burning look in his eyes, “You are holding what belongs to me. Let go of her!” Both of them bare their canines at each other, and the air turns thick with tension as the two Alphas challenge each other. And I am the prize. How did it come to this? I am about to speak, but Carlisle beats me to it. “Why were you even rejecting her in the first place? Doesn’t that mean you don’t want her?” he says, and Elijah turns stiff, “I can see the tears in her eyes and feel her pain. As long as I am here, I won’t let you hurt her any further. She does not deserve to be with an asshole like you.” Elijah growls in anger and pounces on Carlisle. I stumble back, and Drake comes to hold me from behind. My eyes turn wide when I see Elijah shift, his blazer ripping to shreds and his body getting covered with black fur. His wolf Rolf stands like a giant before us, his black coat glistening
Verena "It will be troublesome for her to live in a different pack with her new mate if she's still attached to this pack, don't you think?" Nixie asks, fluttering her eyes like she is the most innocent girl on the planet. My gaze shifts towards Elijah, waiting for his answer in anticipation. Will he change his mind now? There is a part of me that believes he won't. He literally fought with Carlisle to keep me here, so he definitely has a reason to not let me go. Not that I expect it's because he still has feelings for me. I would be a fool to believe that. A look of hesitation crosses Elijah's chiseled face. "That's absolutely ridiculous. This pack is her home, so there is no need to banish her." My heart skips a beat. I knew it. He wouldn't be cruel enough to kick me out of my home. Nixie's brows furrow in disappointment. She steps closer to him, and wraps her arms over his neck like a snake ensnaring its prey. "But her home is where her mate lives. Also, it's in the law that as
Verena Indistinct voices greet me as I open my eyes and find myself in bed. Drake and Dory seem to be engaged in an argument until they notice me stirring. Dory quickly rushes to the bedside table and hands me a glass of water, which I eagerly drink. Wiping my mouth, I look at them. They both wear crestfallen expressions. It's over now. He banished me, so I am left in a packhouse that no longer belongs to me. “Please don’t leave us,” Drake breaks the tense silence. He looks like a sad puppy, and it brings a smile to my face. “I don’t have a choice. How much time has passed?” “Half an hour. Since you fainted,” Dory answers. “That means I only have one and a half hours left before the effects of the banishment start to take place.” It takes two hours for the effects of the banishment to fully initiate, and once that happens, I will be forcibly thrown out of the pack by Elijah’s men. “I know that, but…” his jaw wobbles as he holds back tears. “Who will scold me when I sneak out o
ELIJAH "What the fuck is going on here?!" I growl. "My clothes are a mess, breakfast is awful, and my room is chaotic! Look at this!" I motion toward the bed. The sheets are all crumpled, and the pillows are scattered. "Don't you know how I expect my room to be?" I'm very particular about how I like things organized, especially in my room. When it's not up to my standards, it's really frustrating. Maya and the other two maids look like they're about to faint as they stand outside the room. What were they doing all this time? Don't they understand my preferences? It's only been a day since 'the incident,' and things have already gone to hell. I don't even want to think about what went down during the rejection ceremony. Just remembering it makes my stomach twist with all sorts of emotions. But there's no time to dwell because everything around me is a fucking disaster. Nixie said that she can’t do anything as she feels sick again, and is in bedrest. I turn to Maya, who's keeping