Page 19 of Rejected By the Alpha

“I felt her pain in our bond. What is wrong with Kaylee?” she asks, as she appears in front of me. Her hands cup my face, and I realize that Amelia is wiping tears away.

“Kaylee, what happened?” she asks, her own eyes filling with tears. Her touch is calming, soothing, and it helps push the pain back for a moment. I finally can breathe easier, and take a moment to catch my breath.

“I…I pushed back the pain to be strong, like you told me to,” I whimper, my voice choked as the pain pushes back and forces me to double over.

“Kaylee, that was only to get away from Oak Fur. You should have told me this was going on, so we could have dealt with it sooner.” She pulls me against her body, and the rose scent helps to soothe me. Guilt creeps in and I cry harder, no longer feeling ashamed.

“I wanted to be somewhere safe to deal with it,” I sob, clutching at Amelia’s dress. She says nothing but I can sense that she understands how I feel. Her fingers work quickly but gently to unpin my hair, allowing the blonde curls to fall down my back.

“Marco will take you to your cottage then. You allow the pain to run its course, and I will be there as soon as I can to help you,” Amelia states, running her fingers through my hair.

“No offense, Alpha, but you being there won’t help Kaylee. She needs someone who has been through this pain to help her through it,” Marco steps in, keeping his tone respectful and neutral while speaking to Amelia. She growls at him and he backs away, raising his hands in surrender.

“And where do you think we will find a person who has been rejected like Kaylee?” she asks. I sense motherly love coming through the bond and reach for it. I will cling to anything that helps me to deal with this pain.

“Me,” Marco deadpans. Amelia stops growling in shock, her body stiffening as she holds me tighter. The pain decides to take control then and there, and I suppress the scream that wants to tear out of my throat.

“My mate rejected me for a man she is engaged to. He is the alpha of Blood Oath.” Blood Oath. Why is it always Blood Oath? First Marilyn took my mate, and now her father took Marco’s. I swear that if I do not die from the pain coursing through me, one day I will kill every Blood Oath wolf and destroy that pack for good.

“I see. Then take my goddaughter, and help her.” Amelia slowly releases me, helping me to lay down in the seat, and presses a kiss to my forehead.

“You can survive this, Kaylee. You are strong,” she whispers, wiping away more tears that fall from my eyes. The driver-side door opens and Marco climbs in, as Amelia helps to buckle the seat belt over me, her worried and tear-filled eyes never leaving mine.

“You survive this, and then we grow Ivory Fangs and become stronger together.” I nod at her final words as she places one last kiss on my forehead. She backs away and closes the door, and within seconds the jeep is speeding away. Without Amelia’s touch helping to push the pain back, it returns with a vengeance. I scream, my body curling into the fetal position as I try to focus on surviving this.

“Hang in there, Kaylee. We are almost to your cottage.” Marco places a hand on my shoulder. The pain does not retreat like it did with Amelia, and now I understand why it has to be him to help me. He has been through this pain. It recognizes him and knows he will not push it back. I am glad for that, as the longer the pain is pushed back, the more it hurts me.

The jeep stops, and Marco disappears. It feels like an eternity filled with fire and darkness deep inside me before he returns. He carefully untangles the seat belt from my prone body, before scooping me into his arms. The cool summer air changes to the scent of burning pine and warmth, and it is then that I realize just how cold my body has become.

“Kaylee, listen to me.” Marco sits in front of a fireplace with me still in his arms. I find myself turning to cling to him as another bout of pain bursts inside my body, feeling like it is shattering my bones.

“You held onto the pain for seventeen days. It is going to hurt so bad, you wish you were dead. But don’t let it kill you. You allow it to wreak havoc, and accept it, and it will eventually fade away till there is no longer anything left,” he continues to explain, running his hands through my hair. I nod, as fire licks at my heart again and let out a howl of pain. Marco waits patiently until my howl ends, pulling me closer and cooing to me until Ilay on top of him, unmoving. I can feel the pain gearing up for another attack.

“You will be in and out of consciousness when it gets worse. You won’t remember much of anything but the pain, but I will be here, making you drink water and protein shakes. You need to drink them to keep your strength up to survive this. Do you understand?” I nod against his shoulder and take a deep breath, about to say something when a stabbing pain shoots through my abdomen. I clutch onto Marco, unable to breathe or say anything. He rubs my back, the action lasting for a few seconds before I gasp in a breath.

“You are doing good, Kaylee. Just let it happen, and it will be over soon.” His voice sounds distorted, and it clicks inside my mind that this is just the start. I can feel the pain building, and shudder.

The storm inside me is about to begin. I just hope that I wake up on the other side of it stronger, and alive.

20

Lucas

Gasping in pain, I fold over onto my desk and wonder what is going on. I was working on a proposal for expanding the packlands and perfectly fine, when this pain came crashing onto me. It feels like my heart is shattering into millions of pieces, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

“Hey Lucas, I have the—” My door bursts open and Simon walks in, his eyes meeting mine.

“H-help,” I whimper, unable to say anything else as pain courses through me. Lucas shuts my door and races to my side, helping me off of my desk and chair to lie on the floor.

“I linked Kurt. He should know what to do,” Simon states, as he watches me curl into a ball. The door to my office opens and shuts again before Beta Kurt rounds the corner of my desk. Myneck burns as the betrayal mark begins to glow, and Beta Kurt lets out a curse after his eyes scan my prone body.

“It’s Kaylee. She is finally letting the pain of rejection and banishment course through her,” Beta Kurt explains, bending down and hefting me onto his shoulders.

“Simon, we need to get Lucas to his room. Can you make sure the halls are clear? Because if Ramos sees this, he will try to kill Lucas. Any sign of weakness to that bastard is one that will be eradicated quickly.” Shocked by Beta Kurt’s words, I try to push myself off of him, but the pain stabs at me and I curl even more onto his shoulder, keeping myself from screaming.

“Why his room?” Simon asks, grabbing a blanket and covering my body.

“Because his room is soundproof. His mother knew the type of person Ramos is, and asked me to soundproof the room that eventually became Lucas’ so that he could be himself away from Ramos, before she was killed.” Killed. My mother was killed. I want to ask more, but another stabbing pain captures my attention. Simon is gone, and time ticks by until I hear his voice.

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