Page 13 of Rejection on the Full Moon

The next wave starts, and I grin, this time prepared for their attack. I watched each wolf carefully, waiting to see who would go first. It seemed like everyone’s patience is wearing thin. The first one to make a move is the black wolf to my left. He leaps at me, his body high in the sky and I drop to my knees, my throwing knife cutting deep into his belly. He hits the ground dead, black blood pooling around his corpse.

The second one runs at me, her fury escalating from the sight of the dead Hunter behind me. I guess those two were close. As the she-wolf gets closer to me, I brace my body and push off the ground, leaping high into the air. The wolf lunges at where I once stood, only to end up with a face full of dirt. Before she could get her bearings and ready herself to attack again, I manoeuvre my body so that I landed right on her neck. The sounds of bones breaking under my feet ring crisply through the trees as the body below crumbles like a marionette whose strings have been cut. She, too, is dead.

The third wolf eyes me with fear, his body quivering when my head turns in its direction, and our eyes meet. I could tell the gears were turning in his head as he contemplated whether to flee or fight. Thinking that the wolf is about to attack, I quickly get into a defensive position, only to be surprised as the Soulless turns tail to flee. But he would not get away that easily. I take aim at the wolf, my arm bending back before cutting through the air and releasing one of my throwing knives. I watch as the wolf’s eyes widen just before the knife cuts through his jugular mid-step before hitting a tree, the blade lodging itself into the trunk. Black blood sprays out like a fountain as the wolf crumbles to the ground, dead.

It has been about twenty minutes since I reached the group of Soulless that attacked the Alpha of Blood Moon pack, and thirty minutes since the Tracker-in-training reported the trouble to the group who were in charge of capturing me. Finally, I hear the sounds of backup arriving. The sounds of war cries could be heard in the distance, and they were growing closer. I really needed to finish this fight with the leader before they get here.

In my distracted state, the leader of the Soulless takes this opportunity to ram me from behind. The close proximity of the trees gives me no room to manoeuvre as I slam into a large spruce tree. I groan in pain, knowing a rib or two is broken from the impact, slowly standing up and holding onto my right side. The ice wolf sends a worried whimper from the other side and our eyes meet. I could see the worry and anxiety in his eyes, and I send a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine, ice wolf. Just focus on healing, okay.” I send a flirtatious wink his way and straighten out. Now was not the time to be slacking. The howls of backup are getting closer, meaning I only had a few minutes left to take down this Soulless. I turned to look at the last wolf. He would be trouble, and I knew I had to shift into wolf form if I wanted to kill him. I wasn't shy about my body, as wolves have to go through a shift train. By the time a newly shifted wolf has finished the shift train, they are so used to being naked that the thought of being bare in front of others never crosses their mind. I quickly strip off my Tracker uniform and leave it folded neatly by this tree. The Soulless watches me before we both run at each other, and I leap, shifting in midair as my claws reach out to claw at the wolf’s side. Left at opposite sides of the clearing, the wind ruffles my fur and brings the scent of foul blood towards me. The moonlight shines down on me, causing my flame-like fur to glow under it. It was time to end this fight.

The ice wolf lets out an angry growl. His worry-filled eyes were now hostile as I show my fur side to him. I guess he realized that I’m the notorious Fire Foot that always loots from his pack. Sorry, Icy, but now was not the time for us to fight. This Soulless is my main priority right now.

The Soulless lets out a deafening howl, his saliva dripping off his teeth. His patience is wearing thin and so is mine. Moving quickly, I rush forward towards the wolf in front of me and lunge for his throat. He dodges but not fast enough as I clamp down onto his jaw. Black blood instantly floods my mouth, and it takes everything in me not to gag. The wolf does everything he can to dislodge my hold on him. He shakes his head from side to side, but I held on. Claws rake across my chest and shoulders, and even though I wince from the pain, I refused to let go. His jaw was beginning to crack under my teeth, and I feel my body being slammed once again into a tree. I couldn’t help the whimper emitting from my throat, but still, I refused to let go.

Finally, I had enough of this wolf and planted my feet firmly on the ground. This Soulless is the enemy, and it was time to end him. Focusing all my strength on this last move, I clamp my jaw down harder onto his and feel the bone break. With his jaw more malleable in my grip, I use his distracted form to flip him onto his side as I watch his eyes fill with pain. One paw holding his head down, I release my hold on his jaw and turn to grab his throat. With a loud tearing sound, the Soulless’ throat is ripped out, and I turn my head away as I start gagging. My body is hunched over as I open my muzzle and begin to vomit out the black sludge that Soulless call blood from my system. I was sick from him.

Finally, after what feels like years of puking, my stomach settles down, and I slowly back away from the dead bodies and puddle of my own bile. I needed to head home now and away from the wolf from the Blood Moon pack before his pack members arrive. I turn to where I left my gear and gently pick it up in my mouth, my tail swinging happily behind me know that my home will be safe with these Soulless dead. With a nod to the ice wolf, I bow respectfully to him. Watching for any hostile movements from him, I slowly back away until in the safety of the trees and quickly turn tail and cross the border. At first, I had planned to head back home to clean up and sleep, but something inside me told me to stop and turn back around. Letting out a long sigh, I shift back to my human form and climb into the trees, leaping back the way I had come from to stop just before the clearing. Sheltered by the trees, I peer below me just in time to watch the wolf I had saved shift.

Underneath the tree, instead of an ice-coloured wolf, sat a man. His frame leans against the large oak tree for support as his left hand clutches at his right bicep. Strong arms flex every now and then, and I couldn’t help but slightly drool over them. He had arms that any woman would love to be held by. Sweat glistens down his face, slightly pale from the pain of his wounds, under the thick head of silver-blue hair that is as natural as my fire-red hair. A crystal drop of his sweat falls onto a nice set of pecs, slowly trailing down his body and over a six-pack of abs. It was at this moment that I realized this wolf is naked, and a nice big package is in full view for me to look at. I couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of this man. I know that he would be someone I will not forget.

Other wolves soon file in, both in wolf and skin form, their bodies tense and ready to attack until they take in the quiet clearing littered with dead bodies and pools of blood. With a confused look, a wolf steps forward and bows to Icy, leaning against the tree.

"Alpha, are you okay? We came as fast as we could." It was Beta Christian from before. His body showed signs of worry and respect for the man sitting before him, and I couldn’t help the shock that fills my eyes.

"So, the man I saved is the Alpha," I whisper, my eyes once again taking in his form. His deep eyes were staring at a tree to the right, and I turn to look in that direction, realizing that my throwing knife is still lodged into the tree. What an idiot I am for forgetting about it. The knife belonged to the set that Axel and Serena had given me for my birthday.

"I'm fine, other than some wounds and bruises that are healing. Fire Foot saved me. She was amazing." He said. His voice was deep and authoritative but filled with reassurance as his eyes show such tenderness to them that I feel is rarely seen. The Blood Moon Pack wolves look around the clearing to see the damage I had done. Some wolves even shivered at the brutality of my fighting as they look at the dead Soulless whose guts were spilling from wounds along their stomach and their leader with his neck torn wide open as his dull eyes face them. It took everything in me to hold in my laughter at their reaction as three wolves run off to puke from the stench of the rotten black blood and the gory sight.

“She? Sir, are you sure that Fire Foot is a female?” Beta Christian asks while helping the Ice Alpha to his feet. The wolf was tall, my guess being about six-foot-five to six-foot-seven.

"I’m positive that Fire Foot is a girl. She had a nice body that fits perfectly in her Tracking uniform. Every inch of her body is definitely made of muscle, but her figure, those breasts and her waist definitely prove she is a she-wolf.” Ice Alpha answers with a hint of lust in his tone but also directed in a way that dares anyone to challenge his words. My face heats up at his words, and I knew that a blush crept along my face and neck. It felt weird hearing a stranger talk about me that way, but it gave me a boost of confidence I didn’t know I was lacking.

"She must have hidden her gender pretty well." A member, who looks to be a low Tracker judging by the clothes, said. Admiration radiated off of him as he looks around the clearing with awe-inspired eyes. I knew that this wolf held promise, and the Alpha would be wise to keep an eye on him. The Alpha chuckles and pats the Tracker on his shoulder before a sigh escapes his lips.

"She also looks to be an Elite Tracker; one I would love to have in our pack. Whatever made her a rogue must have been tragic. She has morals, though, as she has never killed anyone from our pack, and knowing that I now know her gender, she didn’t try to kill me. Instead, she helped me, and before she left, bowed to me." The Alpha says, a ghost of a smile on his lips. I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pain in my chest as I clutch at my clothes. If he knew that I was rejected, would this ice wolf still respect me? Someone passes the Alpha a pair of track pants, and I catch a glimpse of his nice, fine ass. He turns back to look at the tree that holds my throwing knife, the group silent as they wait for instructions.

"Should we take it?" Beta Christian asks, nodding his head in the direction of my throwing knife.

"No, let her come back for it. She saved my life while you all took your sweet time." Ice answers, turning to his Beta as their voices become whispers that I can’t hear. They all left shortly after that, and I wait in my hiding spot until the noise of nocturnal animals begins to bring life to the silence. I leap from the tree I hid in and retrieve my knife, pausing to look back at the spot where the Alpha stood moments before. Sighing, I quickly head home for a long shower and to clean up my gear.

The next day, a nagging feeling has me returning to the tree I hid in last night. Minutes after settling on my tree branch, I smile as the Alpha walks into view. His eyes zoom in on the tree that my throwing knife had been lodged in and releasing a deep chuckle. All that’s left is a hole in the tree to remind us of what happened last night. The bodies and clearing had been cleaned up, as only dark patches in the dirt remain from the bloodshed. I couldn’t help but smile at how quick his pack is with the cleanup.

His eyes continue to scan the clearing, a small smile playing on his lips as the wind blows his scent to me. I am happy that I hid in the trees, giving me a better chance to observe the man below me now that he is healed fully. Only a small scratch on his right forearm remained from his battle with the Soulless, and I knew instantly that this Alpha is a force to be reckoned with.

“I don’t know if you are here, Fire Foot, but thank you for last night. You’re welcome on my land whenever you want.” His voice is light as the wind carries it to my ears, the deep tone soothing and bringing a blush to my face. His back is turned to me as he bends down to place a box beside the tree with the hole from my throwing knife. The scent of precious quality medicinal herbs floats to me. I couldn’t help the grin on my face.

I had brought my own gift, two crystalline wolf figures that I had bought hours before getting there, leaving them by his tree while I waited. I don’t know why, but bringing these figurines I found felt right when I passed them this morning on my shelf. As the Alpha of Blood Moon turns to leave, I watch as he pauses, his head turning as the sunlight reflects off of the silver gift bag I left by the oak tree he laid under last night. I couldn’t help the smile on my face as he opens the bag and carefully inspects the figurines. He lets out another deep chuckle while picking the bag up and leaving. Once again, I wait until I was sure that I am alone before leaping from my hiding spot and scurrying over to pick up the box of herbs. I had ample space in my greenhouse where I could cultivate them and start making medicine of my own. I knew right then and there that I was closer to supporting myself without having to loot pack territories ever again.

With a soft smile playing on my lips, I slowly leave the clearing and head home. Plans in my head begin to form with an endless future before me, thinking that this would be the last time I would set eyes on him—the Ice Alpha—or so I thought.

Chapter 10 - Fateful Encounter

The warm sunlight surrounds me as I stare at the lake in front of me. The sound of waves gently crashing against the shore washes a sense of calmness over me as the soft breeze ruffles my long hair and pink sundress. Today, I am nineteen years old, and it has been one year since becoming a rogue. My heart still feels broken, but I am happy instead of feeling a shattering pain from the rejection. As pups, we are told that the first year after being rejected is the most difficult to overcome. Your sanity could shatter, or the pain of the rejection could physically kill you. If the mate that rejected you was selfish, they could cause more harm to you by having sex with other wolves after the rejection. I knew that pain all too well.

But somehow, I managed to keep my sanity, even when I felt like giving in to the pain. I managed to survive a year alone as a rogue and even killed plenty of Soulless in the process. You might think that I’m cruel for killing any Soulless that came my way, but the truth is, I’m setting them free. Death allows the Soulless to enter the realm of the Moon Goddess on the other side, and gives them a chance to either one—be reborn and reincarnated or two—serve the Goddess and help wolves who are waiting for their mate to join them in the afterlife.

It’s been about nine months since I last saw the Ice Alpha. I learned a week after saving him that he had posted an article about me online and how I came to help him when the group of Soulless attacked. I couldn’t believe how detailed he went into the incident, from what we said and how we interacted to the smallest detail of how I killed each Soulless. I was flattered at first by the article and even printed it off to add to my scrapbook of articles on Fire Foot. But after the article, I soon found trouble looting both in human form and wolf. Many wolves and rogues like myself wanted to see what I was made of and how my skills were. That lasted for about two months. By that time, I had opened up my own store in the tourist city called Kenora, just an hour away from my house.

---