Page 6 of Rejected By The Alpha Heir

None.

I am safe. I have a purpose. An intended mate. Many women would kill to have that. I should be grateful.

Yet, the little voice in the back of my head pushes me, challenging me. Don’t you deserve a mate who loves you with the same ferocity that you love him? Isn’t that something you should aspire to, too?

I’m saved from the mental anguish of answering that question for myself when Barbara, one of the kitchen staff members, knocks on my front door, carrying a plate of food. It smells divine and my stomach growls in anticipation.

Her sweet little granddaughter, Hannah, follows right behind her, giving me a shy wave when she sees me. I’ve always loved children, and Hannah is a bright spot in my life. With her raven black hair and her bright blue eyes, she’s striking. Her parents were killed in one of the battles we had with Highland a few years ago. Barbara took her in and, even with all the trauma the young girl has experienced, she’s been thriving as part of the Nightwing Pack.

“Bonfire tonight, girlie. Make sure there are fresh bandages for the young bucks. You know how they like to show off for the girls,” Barbara says, with an eye roll.

I laugh and gesture toward my small bag sitting next to the door. Burns is one of the few things that I can reliably heal faster than the shifter’s natural abilities. I’ve spent several hours in the kitchen whipping up a tincture of herbs that can be sprayed directly on the burns to heal them.

“All set!” I tell her, tasting a bite of the chicken. It practically melts in my mouth. “Hopefully, we have fewer burns tonight. I don’t know why they think that fire won’t be hot each time we do this.”

Barbara barks out a laugh and busies herself with gathering my laundry. “When you get to be my age, you’ll realize that theyneverlearn, girlie. Especially when there are pretty girls to impress and a full moon.”

I take another bite of my food and think about that. I’ve been promised to Austin for most of my life. I’ve been off-limits to all the other young men our age for years.

What would it feel like, though, to have the young men competing for my attention? To sit with my friends on a log and watch as they goofed off and proved their bravery in hopes of winning me?

What would it be like to have friends?To have someone I can turn to, to be able to process all of my feelings with? I’ve never had that.

My mood sours and I push the food away, no longer hungry. Barbara’s sharp eyes don’t miss my movements and she comes to sit next to me.

Her kind, motherly face is twisted in concern when she gazes at me. “You’re too pale, Yelena. Are you eating enough? Resting? You need your strength.”

I nod, embarrassed by her concern, and pick at the food I was given. Honestly, I’m so used to being ignored that any positive attention feels foreign and uncomfortable. Like an itchy sweater over my skin—I can’t quite make it comfortable enough to work.

“Come on, ‘Lena, why don’t you come down to the fire tonight? You haven’t come to one in ages!” Hannah begs, pulling on my hand. “I’m going to dance tonight with the big girls! Jessie said I could!”

I smile down at the younger girl and crouch to her level. Her big eyes are so kind. She's a sweetheart, one of the few pack members who regularly speaks to me as if I’m a person, not a title or a burden.

“I’ll be there, sweetheart,” I reassure her, “Just in the back, making sure everyone is being safe. I’ll still be able to see you dance, though.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Why don’t you sit with Austin? He has a front-row seat!”

Barbara opens her mouth to save me, but I wave her off. “Austin is super important, isn’t he?” I begin, giving Hannah a little smile. “He’s got so many people that want to sit next to him and I get tolivewith him. It would be nicer for me to let others have that chance at the bonfire, right?”

She brightens and nods. “You’re a good sharer!” she says happily. I give her a pained smile and don’t reply.

The sweet girl has no idea.

“Let’s let Yelena get ready, sweet girl,” Barbara says, hustling Hannah toward the door. “You’ll get a chance to say hi to her tonight!”

I give them both a wave and then fall back onto my bed. My plate is only half eaten, but I can’t stomach the idea of finishing it.

If the children are noticing that Austin and I never spend any time together, even at formal appearances, what are the adults saying? My cheeks burn with embarrassment. Maybe everyone in the pack knows he’s repulsed by me. Maybe they spend their time talking about it.

A part of me wants to go find Austin, ask him if we can sit together tonight, but I already know what he’ll say and my heart can’t handle another rejection so soon after the last one.

***

I hug my worn flannel shirt to my body closer, fighting off the chill in the air. The weather has cleared up enough that it’s actually a perfect fall night for a bonfire. The energy is high and even from a distance, I can feel my spirits rise a little bit. Playful shouts, laughter, and even the occasional joyful howl rip through the air.

These moments are what I love about pack life. When everyone gets together for the sole purpose of being together. Wolves are social creatures and we need our pack. It’s part of our DNA.

“You could join them, you know. You have just as much right to be here as they do. Even more, given that you are our future Luna,” a voice says softly to my right.

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