Page 10 of Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

“I, Geminie Blake, refuse your rejection. Instead, I reject you as my mate and your existence in my life.” The air stills, and a wave of panic fills the yard as the crowd around us looks to Mika the moment he lets out a blood-curdling scream. Their future Alpha should be feeling a skull-crushing pain now that his existence has been rejected by me, and a marking of a blood-coloured ring slowly appears around his neck. He would have that mark displayed for the next three years if he could not repair the bond before it snaps. Once we no longer share a bond, the mark will vanish. He will definitely need to hide this mark for the next three years or be ridiculed by other Alphas. Mika will be considered weak, and so will this pack. If I’m being honest, I enjoy this thought.

The wolves forget about me as Mika falls to his knees, clutching at his neck and head and begging for the pain to stop. Now, no longer the focus of attention, I make my way toward the front of the house, leaning against the exterioras the pain coursing through my body blurs my vision. I focus on only one foot in front of the other, praying that I would be able to make it to safety before the pack hunts me down.

“Geminie!” Strong arms scoop me up, holding me close to a solid body as Alex’s scent fills my nose. Relief washes over me as the pain begins to consume my body.

“I hooked up the portable tow in the back of my truck and have your car hooked up. I need you to stay awake, Geminie, to make it out of Hidden Claws.” His words are muffled as if trying to reach me underwater, but the urgency is clear. I have to stay awake for us to make it out safely. My consciousness fades in and out of darkness, the pain increasing with the distance away from Mika while the bond urges me to go back, but I couldn’t go back. Going back meant death. Only the cold air flowing over my body and the scent of pine keeps me grounded the farther away from the pack house Alex carries me until the next moment, I find myself laying on a seat with a wool blanket over me.

“Geminie, listen to me right now.” Alex is yelling, it’s clear he is mad. About what though?

“I already denounced myself from Hidden Claws. I need you to say the words. I can’t cross the borders until you do.” Ah, he is mad because of me. My mouth opens and closes, trying to fight the burning pain that constricts my throat to say the words. I can hear the howls of wolves and the revving of engines as the pack behind us slowly grows closer. But my body will not cooperate with the fire that threatens to consume me. A straw is placed in front of my mouth, and I greedily drink the ice-cold liquid that is offered, taking in the panicked look in Alex’s eyes.

“Say the words, please, Gemie, before they reach us,” He begs, the haze clearing slightly while I look at my brother. Itake a deep breath and open my mouth.

“I, Geminie Blake, denounce myself as a member of Hidden Claws and enter the world as a Rogue.” Relief radiates off of Alex, and the truck moves forwards. As we cross the border that hides the pack from humans and their technology, the bond fizzles away, and emptiness fills my mind as the pain of the rejection takes hold once again. Knowing that I’m safe, I allow the darkness to consume me while Alex drives us towardssafety.

?Chapter 11 - Truth?

The days pass in a blurry haze as the slow rhythmic hum of the engine and light tunes from the radio soothe me in and out of sleep. Every now and then, when the burning in my body eases and I am conscious long enough to hear, I hear the radio host announce what day it is.

Sometimes my skin feels like it’s rippling, like the waves on the lake with a soft summer breeze, sometimes it feels like stabbing sharp pains. Sometimes it feels like my bones would break with every bump Alex’s truck hits, only to realign without warning. Sometimes I can smell the tang of blood in the air and wonder if it’s from me or a poor animal hit on the side of the road. Sometimes a lullaby that is so familiar but hard to remember where I heard it from is sung to me, and in my moments of consciousness and asking Alex about it, I learn that no one in the pack has ever sung it to me.

I remember one night on the long drive, the sound of a dying animal howling filled my ears, but it wasn’t until Alex pleaded for me to stay awake and bite down on a towel that I realized that animal was me.

"Hang on, Gem, I'm taking you to the temple of the Goddess. They should be able to help you." My brother assures me in as calm of a voice as he could muster. But even through the haze of pain and blackness surrounding me, I can hear the tremble of fear in his voice. I know he is trying his best to help me, but in the moment of alertness and lucidness, all I want is the sweet release of death to take over.

Time slips by once again while my mind has a tough time trying to decipher reality and my own pain-inducedhallucinations before the world around me slows to a stop. Something cool kisses my burning skin when the animalistic cry sounds once more, and a sense of peace and tranquillity calms my racing mind until blackness seeps in once again.

I pray that this is death taking me away once and for all from the agony I have suffered.

???

“Are you sure it’s her?” A voice whispers, one I recognize as Alex. The sweet dream I was having is now forgotten as the conversation filled with hushed voices brings me back to consciousness.

“Yes, I am positive. Geminie has the mark on her right shoulder, and her name is even the same as the pup we have been looking for these last eighteen years.” A woman replies, her voice light and musical like Lizaria’s. I force myself to open my eyes, wanting to catch a glimpse of this woman, only to groan from the harsh light filtering in. Someone rushes from the other side of the room to where I presumably lay in a bed and places their hand on my forehead.

“You can open your eyes now. I’ve dimmed the lights for you.” Alex coaxes me, his familiar scent giving me a sense of comfort and security. With his encouraging words, I try to open my eyes again, his face filled with relief greeting me once I succeed.

“Your fever is finally gone.” He sighs, leaning back on the chair by my bedside as he runs his fingers through his already messy hair. He looks haggard, and guilt fills me knowing that my brother must have worried for my well-being while I had prayedfor death.

“Anyway, how are you feeling, Gemie?” He asks, his smile growing after he yawns. I take a moment to stretch my body under the covers, feeling each and every muscle stretch with no pain and finding newfound muscles I had no clue I had. My body felt amazing, like all the beatings and fatigue from sleepless nights had never happened.

“For some reason, I feel incredible. No pain at all.” I answer honestly, sending a questioning gaze to my brother. He sighs, handing me a glass of freezing cold water that I quickly down and motion for more. Alex obliges and fills the glass quickly using a jug that sits on the bedside table.

After two more glasses of water and one I now slowly sip from, Alex sighs once again and runs his fingers through his messy hair.

“The best explanation I can give you, Gem, is that when Mika rejected you, it kick-started the process of your shift,” He begins, his face looking as if he had aged ten years within the last few days.

“You aren’t really my sister, and you weren’t supposed to shift for another two years.” Alex continues, shoulders slumping in defeat as he looks to the ground at his feet. Confusion washes over me as this statement as I wait for my brother to continue.

“What Alex is trying to say is that you are not, in fact, a Blake.” A musical voice continues after a long pause of silence reigns over the room for a moment too long. My head turns to see a woman standing by the door, her long, straight black hair and pale skin standing out against the beige wall behind her as she sends a smile my way.

“You are Geminie Starlight, Daughter of Maverick Starlight—Alpha of the Northern Snow—and Lisandra, ourcurrent Moon Goddess.”

???

“Let me get this straight.” I start, running my fingers through my greasy hair and cringing at the feel of my locks. I am in desperate need of a shower, but with my mind racing with a million thoughts, I need to sort out the information I had just learnt first.

“Eighteen years ago, Alex’s parents decided to kidnap me.” I continue, seeing the look of guilt flash through my brother’s eyes as he looks outside the window. I reach out, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He had no knowledge like me until today, and I could never hold a grudge against him.

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