Page 4 of Rejection on the Full Moon

“You bitch! This is your fault!” My head spins as a hard slap connects to my tear-stained face. My body sprawls against the forest floor as I turn to look at my sister Mia, who stands above me, her nails turning into claws. Zack quickly rushes over and restrains her. He has a passive look on his face as he stares at me, but the disdain and hate in their gazes have me frozen in place.

“It’s not my fault.” I retort back, standing up and rubbing my now swollen cheek.

“If you weren’t such a special wolf, our parents wouldn’t have died. It’s because of your fucking fur.” She screams, fighting to gain freedom from Zack as her hatred simmers in the air. I slowly back away from my siblings, seeing the anger in Zack’s eyes and wondering if he would attack me too.

“Enough, Mia! Zack, take your sister to the pack house now.” Alpha Blue orders, coming to shield me from the two. I could see the hesitation in Zack’s eyes before he nods again. He takes a few steps, dragging the still-raging Mia along with him before he stops and turns to look at me.

“From now on, you are no longer our sister.” He states before he resumes dragging Mia away. My heart feels like it’s shattered as darkness slowly fills my vision. What was supposed to be a typical pack run has led me to lose my entire family.

“Amberle?” Alpha Blue yells out, his arms reaching for me before darkness fully takes me with this overwhelming grief.

???

I stand beside Alpha Blue as I watch the caskets with my parents inside be lowered into the ground beside each other. It has been three days since the accident, since the death of my parents and the loss of my siblings.

“Let us remember Maxwell, our beloved Beta, and Carrie, our beloved Head Tracker, as they return to the Moon Goddess’ side.” Alpha Blue says, sadness etched into his voice. His words soon become white noise as the graves are slowly filled with dirt. Everyone cries around me, but my eyes were dry. I could not cry anymore, so I stood there, emotionless. My siblings disowned me three days ago, and no one my age came near me in fear that I would also cause their death. Leo even ignored me, just when I needed my best friend the most. He would even go as far as push me away from him and yell at me if I eventually found him.

My thoughts wander to the notion that I’m an orphan now. I’m an outcast to the wolves my age and unwanted by any family I have left. I am alone.

“Come on, Amber, let's go pack your things.” Alpha Blue nudges me from my thoughts as he takes my hand. My eyes scan the crowd, and I see looks of sympathy from the older wolves and disdain from the younger ones. Many held their words because the Alpha has taken it upon himself to raise me now and give me protection. I am led away from the funeral and taken towards a path that is all too familiar, the forest quiet and still. Alpha Blue and I knew of the plans Zack and Mia have to burn the house down tonight, leaving only a short amount of time to finish packing everything. If I did not gather my parents’ things, they would be lost forever.

“Hey Amby Bamby, how are you feeling?” Axel, the new Beta, asks as he picks me up. Axel was the Second Beta my father had chosen and trained. He is like an Uncle to me, and I could not help but cling to him and bury my head into his shoulder.

“I understand.” He sighs. My silence and actions were telling enough as he slowly rubs my back. Axel joins Alpha Blue and me with a few other trusted wolves to pack up everything before Mia and Zack get here. I’m happy to feel some sense of security with him around. He carries me the rest of the way to the house while talking with Alpha Blue, settling me down by the front door and letting me take the lead for what needs to be done.

“Can we do my room first?” I ask, hesitating at the open door.

“We can do whatever you want, sweetie.” Axel smiles as he ruffles my hair, giving me a slight nudge. I lead the wolves toward my room, passing by Zack and Mia’s. Their empty rooms remind me that I am alone now, and a small tear slips down my cheek.

For the next six hours, we slowly pack up my room, my parents’ room, and anything my parents kept in the house. My father had an extensive book collection that he was proud of. He kept it in his study and always let me sit in the window seat to read or attempt to read. I asked Axel if I could have them placed on the shelves in my new room. Everything that would not fit into my new room would be stored in a trailer that Alpha Blue attached to my father’s treasured Mustang convertible. It was a 1969 model, and my mother always complained he loved that car more than her at times. It is now mine.

“Looks like everything is packed.” Alpha Blue says with a sigh, climbing into the Mustang. He would drive it to a shed belonging to him at the edge of the pack property. In this way, everything would be safe and hidden from the pack.

“I’ll get Amber settled in at the pack house. My mate should be finished with organizing her room.” Axel volunteers, his gaze catching mine as I cling to a suitcase. The Alpha nods before driving away and leaving Axel and I in front of my house.

“What do you have there, Amberle?” He asks as he sits beside me, my hands trying and succeeding at opening the case.

“Mom’s Tracker uniform. I want to use it when I become a Head Tracker like her one day.” My voice is quiet as I run my fingers over the fabric, her calming scent wrapping itself around me. The scent would fade away soon.

“That’s a good idea. Think I can hold it for you while we head to the pack house?” Axel is always asking if he could do certain things. It’s why I was happy to have him stay with me when the Alpha couldn’t. I nod and close the case, letting him take it before reaching out to hold onto his free hand. We make our way to the pack house and up the many stairs until we reach the attic. Blue knew that I would be living in the pack house with him and a few members. The attic used to store some party equipment, but after making some room in the basement, a few pack members took it upon themselves to renovate the attic into my room. It was the biggest room in the entire pack house and my own personal world away from the real world.

Serena, Axel’s mate, had spent the day organizing my things that were sent to the house as we packed up my old home. She smiled and envelops me in a big hug when I step into the room.

“Want to see your new room, sweetie?” She asks, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. Her eyes don’t hold pity like all the other wolves did. Instead, she looks at me the same way my mother used to—she held eyes filled with love and care.

“Yes, please.” A small smile plays at my lips as I take Serena’s outstretched hand and let the Beta female lead me to my new room. The shelves along the far wall already held the many books from my father’s study with a reading nook by the large window that let in a lot of sunlight. My bed was tucked into another large nook that gave me lots of room to switch to a larger bed as I got older, but I was happy with the pink princess bed. My favourite part was the big office desk with many art supplies that faced the floor-to-ceiling windows. A bigger smile bloomed on my face as I looked at Axel.

“Your dad always raved on and on about how you loved art and planting any plant you could get your hands on. The Alpha was not happy when we demolished the wall for your windows, but I figured this would make a good surprise for you. You can be as creative as you want here and plant any flowers you wish.” An embarrassed look crosses his face as Serena chuckles at her mate and pulls him close for a quick kiss. The tour ends with Serena showing me my own bathroom and walk-in closet. It was her idea, considering that the only washrooms in the pack house were communal, so she thought it would be nice to have my own private things away from all the other wolves who lived here.

Serena and Axel help me decorate my room to finish making it feel more like home to me. The two made my aching heart hurt less with how well they treated me. They were not afraid to get closer to me like the other wolves were and even made me giggle and laugh with how normal they acted.

“I left food on your desk for when you get hungry. If you need anything, just link us.” Serena says while tucking me into my bed. It has been a long day, but having Axel and Serena here helped.

“Thank you,” I whisper, the feeling of love from them making the ache in my heart dull a bit more but not completely. The new Beta pair leaves after making sure that I knew where their room in the pack house was. The room is quiet and solemn without their presence. Snuggling into my stuffed rabbit mom had won me at a festival in town, I finally let out the tears I’ve been holding in all day and cry my heart out. I’m afraid of being alone, but I have a feeling that for a while, I would be nothing but alone. I must work harder now that my family was gone. With determination and sadness mixing in my heart, I find darkness creeping in as I cry myself to sleep.

Chapter 4 - Years of Agony

Fourteen Years Old

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