Page 20 of Losing My Rejection

“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself. “I’m no fun to be around and I’m always in a bad mood.”

“Are you kidding? You’re a lot of fun to be around. I enjoy working with you at the bakery and your passion for cooking is honestly infectious.”

It was a nice compliment and I felt my lip try to curl into a smile again. “It’s the only thing I have left,” I replied, forcing the smile away. “Everything else is gone.”

There was a long pause. “Do… Do you want to talk about it?”

I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head. “There’s nothing to tell. I made a stupid mistake and it cost me my pack, my family, and my future.”

“Was it really that bad?”

“Must’ve been. Sure seemed to piss off my dad enough to kick me out of the pack.”

“Is your dad the Alpha?” Andy asked. “I… uh… can smell the Alpha blood in you.”

“No. He’s the Gamma. We don’t have enough blood to qualify us for that kind of leadership.” I sighed again. “I don’t like leading people, anyway. If I did, I wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.”

“Ah,” Andy nodded, finally understanding. “You turned them down, didn’t you?”

I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I tried to will them away, but they were still there, clinging to the edge of my eyelid and threatening to fall. “I just didn’t want that kind of life…”

“Wow… that’s a really stupid reason for them to kick you out.”

Sniffling, I looked up at Andy, surprised by his words. “What?”

“It’s really fucking stupid,” he repeated. “Pack leadership is no small task and those who take it on have to not only want it, but be humble enough to take the job in the first place. If they don’t want to do the job, how would they ever be a good leader? You can’t just force someone into a job like that. It’s crazy and honestly, sort of dangerous for the pack.”

“But… there’s nobody else to be Gamma.”

“I’m sure they’ll find someone without any issue. You can’t be the only wolf in the pack with Alpha blood and I’m sure there’s tons of wolves that dream of being leadership.” Andy sighed, shaking his head. “No, I suspect your dad was just being prideful and trying to force you into something you don’t want. Probably because he’s insecure. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

That juniper smell wafted over me again and I felt myself breathe in deeply. Why was Andy defending me? He hardly knew me. And yet, without me giving him hardly anything, he’d not only pinpointed my predicament, but he was convinced that it wasn’t my fault.

“You’re a good guy, Josh,” Andy added. “It’s really easy to see. I know it doesn’t make things better, but if your dad can’t see that, then maybe he doesn’t deserve to be part of your life.”

“I just… I wish I was at home…”

The tears finally fell down my cheeks. Andy reached over without a word, pulling me close to him in a sort of side hug.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said. “I promise.”

I lifted my head, looking up into those bright blue eyes of his sparkling in the moonlight. His scent filled my nose and goosebumps had broken out over my skin the moment he touched me. I felt a sort of pull toward him, one that I didn’t really understand. I wasn’t sure if it was the full moon or him, but I felt almost drunk in a way. The wolf inside me was running in circles, but I didn’t understand why. Everything around me sort of faded away, leaving nothing but just Andy and me sitting there in the sand.

It was the first time I’d noticed the freckles across his nose and the way the shape of his eyebrows gave him an almost jovial expression all the time. My gaze flicked down to this full lips, their shape and color just begging to be touched.

Without warning, the wolf inside me lurched, pulling me forward. My lips collided with Andy’s and before I knew it, I had a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. I kissed him like I’d never get another chance, my tongue pressing into his mouth before he could stop me. And he… kissed me back.

My wolf, drunk with the sudden rush of endorphins, let go of its momentary hold on my person. I tore myself away, my body flooding with ice cold fear. My eyes were wide as I stared at Andy. He was just as surprised as I was.

In a flash I was on my feet, heading back toward the parking lot.

“Josh?” Andy called after me.

I didn’t reply. I just clenched my eyes shut and began to run.

Chapter Eleven: Andy

I called after Josh a couple of times, but he just kept running. Instead of going after him, I just sat there in the sand, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. My heart was pounding a mile a minute and I didn’t need to glance down to know I was excited. I’d never felt so light or so wholly good before. It was like everything in my life had suddenly aligned. But I just didn’t understand why it had even happened to begin with.

---