Page 24 of Rejection on the Full Moon

The next few days are spent either training the Forest Paw wolves and having them run through the forest or spending time with Axel, Serena, Claira, or Blue. Sometimes Dominic and my friends would join me. Other times it would just be me with those I call my family. Claira has gotten so big over the years, and spending time with the pup I call my little sister felt great.

Of course, during this week, the Forest Paw wolves have increased their speed and stamina, greatly impressing me. Leo also has kept his distance from me since his nose dive into the tree on the first day of training, allowing the mate bond to continue to die away. It was the end of the first week of training, and within these seven days, I’ve been debating on moving on to hand-to-hand combat with Miles. Of course, that depends on if a wolf can grab the scarf soon.

“Okay, guys. Let’s end training for the day.” I call out. Some wolves still settle onto the cold ground to catch their breath, but many were able to stay standing even after four hours of increasing the speed. For the first time in a long time, I’m proud of Forest Paw. Blood Moon wolves mingle with Forest Paw wolves, each making their way towards the pack house to eat.

“Every time I train with you, I feel like it’s your mother training us.” Serena’s voice sounds just behind me, and I turn to face the woman I look up to. The winter wind blows past us in the emptying training field, causing me to shiver from the cold.

“Mom used to train you?” I ask. I knew my mother was the Head Tracker years ago. She was proud of her rank as both the Beta Female and Head Tracker, two tough roles that not many people could handle.

“Who do you think was her second? Axel worked closely with your father, and I with your mother. But unlike her, I could never handle the stress of being both the Beta Female and Head Tracker after her death.” My eyes water as tears threaten to spill. I knew that before becoming a Beta Female, Serena was a skilled Tracker, one that went on many missions as I rarely saw her in the pack, even as a pup.

“Your mother loved using running exercises in the winter to train. She would run and run all day, with us trying our best to keep up with her.” Serene reminisces, her eyes becoming unfocused as she thinks about the past. "You are incredible." Zack’s voice cuts in after Blue went to his office, my brother staring at me with pride.

Mother loved the forest as much as I do. My father always made the joke that my mother was once a forest spirit before being reborn as a werewolf. It’s why he had a hard time keeping her inside the house. I could still remember the first time she had me run through the forest to test my limits. It was a hot summer night, and the moon was bright and full. “Remember,” Mother started saying to me. The humid air had the cicadas singing their tune in the night as we walked hand in hand in the forest, a proud smile on my mother’s face. “You are my daughter and born to be a Tracker. You should become one with the forest and learn which trees can hold your weight and which ones will crumble beneath you.” After that, she had me climb trees in both wolf and human form until I could easily scale a sturdy tree in seconds. Using the forest highways was a challenging task that led to many bumps, bruises, and broken bones. But I kept going. I wanted to take over as Head Tracker, even if my early shift meant I was destined for something greater.

“Mom trained Mia and I in the forest almost every chance she could. I think subconsciously, her training seeped into my own.” I admit, my eyes staring off into the forest absent-mindedly. Would she be proud of who I am now? Would she approve of Dominic and Blood Moon? Questions swirl around my mind, my mood slowly plummeting with the thoughts of my mother.

“I’m actually shocked with how Mia turned out, to be honest with you. She had a lot of promise as a juvenile, but there was always this nagging feeling I got when around her. Your mother never knew this, but a month before your parents’ death, I caught Mia in town at a bar with the locals. I knew something was wrong and immediately took her home, but she wasn’t as diligent with training after that as Zack and you were. I guess part of me knew she would go down the wrong path.” Serena admits with a sigh. Her words have me thinking about Zack and his words to me at the bonfire. Maybe my brother wasn’t my enemy at all after the death of our parents. He might have felt just as lost as I did back then. With a sigh, Serena and I head towards the pack house together, my thoughts of Zack swirling in my mind. I remember how close we were before he went to college, how even on his holidays, he would find time for me to go out for a run in our wolf form. Maybe him becoming a father changed things, and we could regain our sibling relationship again.

An arm wrapping around me brings me from my thoughts. I look up to see Dominic smiling down at me. I could see the worry in his eyes, and I just smile, leaning my head onto his shoulders.

“I’m fine. Just thinking about things.” I reassure him, getting a nod in return. The warm air in the pack house does its best to chase away the winter chill as soon as I step into the building, my stomach making known its need for food. The two of us quickly join the queue for food, our conversation about training and how we can soon move on to hand-to-hand. Miles joins us in line just as we get to the table loaded with many options. My hand instantly reaches for the sausages and potato salad. Once we gather our food, the three of us quickly join Greg and Concra at their table.

"I swear, you were trying to kill us with all that running, but your pack doesn't seem fazed." Zack appears at my side, taking a seat at our table and causing my friends to look uneasily at him. I sigh, taking a bite of my food as Dominic chuckles, looking over my head at my brother, who sits on my left side.

“That’s actually our warm-up when we train,” Dominic admits. My friends break out laughing as my brother looks wide-eyed at everyone, his mouth agape at this revelation. I nearly choke on my food, laughing hard as my brother turns his wide-eyed gaze to me.

“He’s not joking, is he Amberle?” Zack asks, a little doubtful.

“Nope, what we’re doing with Forest Paw is about a quarter of what we do at Blood Moon. It’s why our pack is number one.” I answer, pride seeping into my voice as I swipe the sausage from Zack’s plate, quickly devouring it.

“Get your own food. That was mine!” He exclaims, glaring at me as I finish the stolen morsel.

“And my childhood was mine, but you let Mia take it away from me. I even have the scars on my body to prove it.” I retort, sending my own glare his way. As much as I believe things could change between my brother and me, I still have a few things to say to him. Our parents made him promise to look after Mia and me, yet he still stood there when she tortured me with Leo. The scars on my body were evidence of this.

“Abby and I… We would take back everything if we could. You never deserved what happened to you.” A defeated look takes over Zack as he slumps in his seat, a look of guilt and remorse on his face as unshed tears fill his eyes. Thankfully, my friends stay silent, providing me with their presence as support as I deal with my brother. Dominic’s hand reaches over to take mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“He’s right. The day you ended up being whipped by Leo and Mia, we were at the pack hospital ourselves, finding out we were expecting Lilly-Ann. You wouldn’t remember this since you were knocked out on pain medication, but Zack stayed every night to take care of you.” Abby settles into the empty chair beside Zack, her hand reaching out to give her mate a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. Surprise fills me as I knew Abby was not one to lie. I turn to look at Zack, this time shocked by this newfound knowledge.

“It’s true. I knew Mia was bad but not as bad as that. After seeing you in the hospital for so many days and in so much pain, I felt guilty and kept my distance from you. This helped keep Mia from hurting you more, and with Blue, Axel, and Serena keeping watch over you, I knew you were safe.” My friends all held the same shock as I did on their faces, and I lean into Dominic, needing his calming presence to keep me grounded. The revelation that Zack stayed away from me to protect me made sense. Whenever Zack was around ignoring me, Mia would keep her distance.

“When did you two become enemies?” I ask, wondering when Mia and Zack started to distance themselves from each other.

“The day you were whipped, I started to stay away from Mia. It was hard, considering we were each other’s support after… You know… It was then that I realized I should have been there for you too. It wasn’t your fault our parents were murdered. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” Zack answers, each feature of his face etched in sadness. The air is thick with regret, and I couldn’t help but lean forward and wrap my arms around Zack, giving him a hug.

[Can you guys give the three of us some space?] I ask my friends as Zack’s arms wrap around me. I feel the wetness on my shoulder where his forehead rests, and I know that my brother is silently crying, doing his best not to appear weak in front of my pack mates.

[Link us if you need anything.] Greg answers, a smile on his face as everyone leaves the table, leaving Abby, Zack, and I alone.

“It was just a month after you left. Mia started fooling around with Leo. She gained this high and mighty attitude thinking that she would be made Luna in three years when the bond between the two of you fully broke.” Abby continues as Zack pulls away from the hug, taking a napkin off the table to dry his now tear-stained face.

“Her attitude continued to get worse each day she spent with Leo, and at the time, Abby was pregnant. She nearly killed Lilly-Ann by bumping into her while playing in the front yard. It was the worst day of my life, watching my baby fight for her life because of her so-called Aunt.” Zack continues, his gaze turning to where his children play with other pups as my eyes follow to where he looked. That’s when I see the scars snaking up Lily-Ann’s arm and neck, scars that were hidden by her winter gear at the bonfire. My heart clenches at the sight of Lilly-Ann with a carefree smile and the lines marring her visible skin before rage takes over.

"Mia did that to her?" I question, my gaze returning to my brother and sister-in-law.

“She did. After that, it took everything in me not to kill that bitch.” Zack answers, rage simmering behind his gaze that he turns to me.

“Thank you for beating the crap out of her, by the way. I’m glad one of us could do it.” I just nod in response, turning to look at Abby, the ex-Head Tracker who trained me to the point of exhaustion most days.

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