Page 40 of Rejected By the Alpha

“I forgive you,” I said.

And I meant it sincerely. As much as I’d dreamed of having someone save me from my maltreatment as a child, I realized now that we can’t always escape from the bad things that happen to us.

A strange mixture of sadness and relief washed over me as Alpha Lex and the other members of the Sparkle Hollow Pack headed home to enact Lex’s punishment on my parents. I would always hold a love in my heart for my parents. Their behavior was misguided and harmful, but I wanted to believe that deep down, they cared for me as their daughter. Our relationship now was permanently broken, but I was whole.

I looked at Killian and saw our future spread out in front of us, bright and inviting. He mattered to me more than my parents ever had. He was my family. We would move forward, together.

Chapter 19 - Killian

“Hey, let’s get out of here,” I said.

Leah had been looking down since Lex had left yesterday, and I knew she was mourning the loss of her parents. As much as I wished I could punish them for hurting Leah, I knew she still cared for them. I knew from experience that losing a parent was hard, no matter what your relationship with them was like.

“Where did you want to go?” Leah asked.

I shrugged. “We haven’t left the house in a little bit, and we could both use some fresh air. Would you like to go for a walk?”

Leah nodded and smiled, seeming content with my choice of activity. I wished I could have planned something more extravagant and special for us to do, but sometimes, the quiet moments of togetherness were better.

We left the house and headed toward the bar, meandering through the residential streets on our way toward the more bustling town center.

“It feels good to stretch my legs,” Leah said, placing her hand in mine.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t plan something more special for us to do.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “Besides, I think this is our first official date as a married couple, so it’s perfect. What could be more domestic than taking a leisurely stroll through town?”

There was plenty that we could have talked about, but neither of us felt the need to interrupt the peaceful feeling of being in each other’s presence. With the sun on our faces andbirds singing around us, we walked the two miles into town and ended up on Main Street.

We stopped at the ice cream parlor on Main Street to mark our turnaround point and got two small cones to keep us company on the way back toward our house. I had expected that she would want to go back home after our walk, but then she surprised me.

“Can you take me to the forest?” she asked. “Destiny hasn’t gotten to run in a long time. I can hear her whining right now.”

I grinned, knowing that Rocky would love nothing more than to chase his favorite wolf around the trees.

When we got to the forest, I made a beeline for a secluded area where I knew no humans frequented, pulling Leah along behind me. Our pace quickened in excitement the closer we got, until we were practically running. We arrived at my favorite location to shift, completely out of breath but smiling.

“It’s been a long time since we ran together,” Leah said.

“Do you think you’re fast enough to catch me now?” I teased.

“Guess we’ll find out!”

Leah transformed, and I saw Destiny’s brown fur dash away. I followed suit, and Rocky followed in a gold streak. Within seconds, I caught up to her.

With no plan and nowhere to be, Destiny and Rocky ran and frolicked to their hearts’ content for hours. When they eventually tired themselves out, we made our way back to the clearing.

“Thank you for today,” Leah said. “I think we all needed that.”

“I agree.”

“Oh no!” she exclaimed, stopping short and causing me to bump into her. “My necklace. I was wearing it earlier, but it’s not here!”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “It’s just a necklace.”

“No, it was the necklace you bought for me,” she said tearfully. “I swear it was just here. I feel so stupid.”

“Leah, you are not stupid. Come here.”

---