Rejected

‘I, Antony Preston, reject Nadia Delante as my mate.’

The words still echo in my mind and the wound is still fresh, raw and unbearable. I had never cared much for Antony, but once the mate bond took over, he was all I thought about. He was my whole world, but he did not want me. I suppose I should be grateful to not be stuck with an arrogant, misogynistic dick as my mate, but the steady ache in my heart is hard to move past. It has only been 3 days since he rejected me…publicly…as in at the pack’s winter ball, in front of every member of our pack. I have endured 3 days of blinding pain and emptiness, but in only 3 days, it seems my mother has, and I quote, ‘found a solution to our little problem’. As I am about to start yet another movie that will serve as background noise to my misery, my bedroom door swings open and in walks not only my mother, but my father, grandfather and aunt as well.

“Dia, can we come in?” I have no idea why my mother bothers to ask if she can enter my room AFTER she has already entered, but I still give her a slight nod, even though she is already standing at the foot of my bed.

“Oh Dia, I am so sorry. I came as soon as your mother told me.” My aunt Sandy stammers out as she rushes to my side and pulls me in for one of her signature bear hugs.

“Dia, we have all been talking and we thought maybe it would be a good idea if you went to stay with your aunt for a while. You are 18 and she said her pack is in need of some people to help around the pack house.” My eyes dart back and forth, taking in the hopeful expressions on their faces, my aunts the most hopeful of all. It has been years since I have gone to visit my aunt and it would be nice to get away from everything that reminds me of him.

“You know, that isn’t a bad idea. I don’t know how much longer I can go on feeling like this. Maybe having something to keep me busy in a place where I won’t have to worry about running into that…asshole…maybe it will help.” They are all clearly pleased with my answer and take turns giving me hugs, trying their best to comfort me and help me through something that none of them have ever been through. I know they mean well, but they will never understand the soul crushing agony of what I am going through and I just need to get away…away from this place and, though I hate to say it, away from them.

“I will help you pack tonight and we will leave tomorrow. I will contact Alpha Lynch right away so he can figure out a pack duty that you can be assigned to.” I have to fight back the urge to roll my eyes at the mention of her alpha. I met him once almost 7 years ago and the man was a dick back then. I doubt much has changed in that regard.

“Sounds good aunty. Thank you, all of you.” They all mumble their praise at my decision as they make their way out of my room.

My aunt was not kidding when she said she would help me pack. The woman came through like a cyclone and within an hour, all of my possessions were packed and loaded in a U-Haul, ready for our trip in the morning. I wish I could say I got a good night’s sleep, but let’s face it…sleep is a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about nightmares and being thrust into a panic attack as your subconscious forces you to relive the most painful moment of your life. We left my house at 4am and by 9pm, we were pulling up to my aunt’s house in the town of Gallagher, the main town on the Broch Pack’s land. The house looks just how I remembered it and I am more than eager to get out of the cramped car and stretch out before unloading the U-Haul and unpacking.

“Dia, is there anything you need out of there tonight, or would you be ok if we waited until morning to unload everything?” I reach into the backseat of her car, grab my overnight bag then close the door.

“This is all I will need tonight.” She is more than a little relieved and quickly ushers me into her home and leads me to the room that will now be mine. It is smaller than my one back home, but I really don’t have much so it is perfect. Once she shows me the basics, she leaves me to settle in. That is one thing I have always loved about my aunt, she never lingers. As siblings go, my mother and aunt are polar opposites. My mother is quiet, shy, always smothering me. My aunt Sandy, however, is loud, adventurous, outgoing and understands the need for personal space. I know she is there if I need her, but she lets me come to her and that is something I need more than anything right now. I plop down on the twin sized bed, stare at the ceiling and drift into a fitful sleep that is filled with horrible flashes of the night at the winter ball.

“Wake up, Dia! We need to get everything out of the U-Haul so I can drop it off on my way to work!” I grab my phone off the nightstand and roll my eyes when I see it is only 6am. I quickly freshen up, throw my untamed white hair into a messy bun and hurry outside to help with bringing my things in. We work together in a comfortable silence, until we are on the last box.

“What time do you have to be at work?” She looks over the box in her arms and gives me a soft smile.

“10. The alpha would like to see you at 2 so I will pick you up during my lunch and drop you off at the pack house.” I had been hoping to have a few days to settle into my new home and get familiar with my surroundings before having to see the alpha, but nothing else in my life has played out in my favor, so why should this be any different?