Page 13 of Amaris Rejected

My wolf howls."Mateeee!"

Chapter 9 - Meet-and-Greet - Jeni

Jeni-Night of Meet-and-Greet

I’m so flipping mad; I’m fuming. The girls and I go to the bathroom for 15 minutes and some female has already got her claws into my male! Standing in the tree line, I can see Devon and a she-wolf with long black hair. "This can't be happening."

My friend Sheila walks back to me from the bonfire. "I'm sorry, Jeni. The guys say she’s his mate. They just stumbled upon each other while we were gone."

"What am I going to do?" I wail. "He is supposed to mate with me. Daddy promised."

"I don't know what to tell you," Sheila says with sympathy as she looks at me. "Didn't you mention that you’d done the deed a couple of weeks ago?"

“He thinks we did, but we didn’t. I just put him to sleep with a magic drink disguised as tea,” I sob into my hands.

"Well, what he doesn’t know…” she grins evilly, wiggling her eyebrows. Just tell him you’re knocked up, plan a quick wedding, and then get pregnant for real. Problem solved."

Upon hearing her words, my sobs at once ceased. "Sheila, you are a genius! I think I love you! That is just what I’ll do.” I grab Sheila's hand excitedly. "Let's go find daddy." I laugh.

Just as we’re about to leave the tree line, a group of males walks by. One of them stops dead in his tracks and stares. "Mate!" he breathes out, reaching to touch my face.

"Wait just a minute," I caution, placing my hand on his chest to stop him. Tingles race up and down my arm.Oh, my goddess.I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "What's your name?"

"Beck Kason. I'm the Alph—"

I interrupt him. "I, Jeni Quinn, reject you, Beck Kason, as my mate," I grind out as he clutches his chest and falls to the ground. "Come on, Sheila, we have to go see Daddy. I have a web of lies to spin, and you're my witness."

I laugh as Sheila just stares in horror at the man writhing on the ground.

Chapter 10 - The Warning

Amaris

"Hello, Mama." A tiny boy with chocolate-brown eyes wakes me.

"Who—who are you?" I ask as I rise from my warm bed. It’s dark outside my window, so it must still be night.

"It's me, Mama," he laughs.

Oh,my goddess, he’s the spitting image of Zoe, down to the gold ringlets on his head. He looks to be the same age as her. Am I losing my mind?

"Zeke?" I whisper.

He giggles joyfully as he nods his head. "Yes, Mama. The goddess has allowed me to visit you. There's a lot you don't know that you need to understand."

He sounds more like an adult than a child. I blink,and right before my eyes, he changes. He’s no longer a child but a big, strong,healthy teenager. Tears blur my vision.Oh, goddess. If only he had lived. My sweet Zeke.I bury my head in my hands and begin to sob.

"Don't cry,Mama." He comforts me in a deeper voice. "I’ve been allowed to come here to guide you. I need to help you find your past." He points behind me, and the scenery changes. We are no longer in my room but in a dark forest. The path behind me is narrow but well-traveled, lined with beautiful trees that stretch overhead to form a protective canopy. "The path you’ve walked was wrought with pain, but it doesn’t define you."

“The questions of your past will be answered soon.

"I’m here to help guide your future," he explains, pointing to the path ahead. I notice that it’s not as clearly defined. Several smaller paths fork off from the one we’re on, and none of them look easy. Each varies in difficulty, cluttered with boulders and fallen trees, while thorny vines and rose bushes choke both sides. "The road ahead has danger but also a great deal of happiness. It must be tread carefully."

I notice that ahead is a steep drop-off. A few feet away, I spot Zoe standing too close to a female I don’t recognize. Her menacing smile sends chills down my spine as she beckons Zoe closer, a malicious glint in her eye. My heart races as I realize the female is a threat to my pup—she’s luring Zoe towards the edge of the cliff.

A now-adult Zeke, the very image of Devon, points to the female, "She’s the reason I never joined you and our family. Her lies caused my father to turn his back on us and abandon you. She’s still a danger, especially to Zoe. Memorize her face. When you see her again—and you will—protect Zoe from her at all costs."

I watch in horror as Zoe is pushed off the cliff. Lunging to save my daughter, I suddenly find myself falling through darkness.

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