Rejected and Regretted

Two

☆ AVRIL ☆

- five years later -

If five years ago someone told me that I, Avril Fletcher, the pathetic ostracized omega, would one day find my place in this cold, lonely world, I would have deemed them insane. What a funny thing destiny is, I thought to myself.

Alone in my expansive chambers, I readied myself for my mission. As I faced my reflection in the mirror to tie my long, dark ash brown hair into a high pony, I took a moment to notice just how much my physical appearance had changed.

I still had a lean build, but I wasn’t starving-thin anymore. After putting on some weight by eating healthier and training hard, my previously non-existent curves and muscles were accentuated. My skin wasn’t sickeningly white as it had been while I grew up locked inside the packhouse doing chores; it had changed from a pale ivory to a warm sand color as a result of spending most of the day outside, sparring under the sun. My blue eyes, once dull and hopeless, had acquired a new glow, strong and clear as flowing rivers.

Subconsciously, I straightened my posture, proud of who I am - who I was always meant to be.

“Alpha.” I heard someone call from the other side of the door, which I had purposely left half-open. Of course, my Beta was too polite to come in without knocking, even though I had given him permission to do so.

“Yes, Theo,” I answered, encouraging him to step forward.

Through the reflection in the mirror, I watched him immediately lower his head in respect as soon as he had walked inside. “We’re ready to leave. Should we wait for you outside?”

With his reminder, my confidence wavered as I recalled where we were headed to. My former home - if I could even call it that - Whispering Hills Pack.

A half-sigh, half-grunt broke through my lips. It wasn’t that I was afraid of being around the people who bullied me my entire life; I knew how to defend myself now. However, I couldn’t say I was thrilled about reuniting with them, especially when I had to hide the truth about who I turned out to be. Revealing it would compromise our mission, as well as the identity of my new pack as a whole.

Still, I knew it had to be done. Whispering Hills was in possession of something we needed, and I was certain they wouldn’t hand it to me willingly.

“The faster we retrieve the ashes, the sooner we can leave that hideous place,” Kea chimed in, slightly more optimistic than I was.

“You’re right,” I agreed. As she retreated to the depths of my mind, I rose from my feet, turning to face Theo. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’m almost done here.”

Shifting my attention to the dresser, I grabbed a few bandages, quickly wrapping them around my forearm. Once my unique mark was completely covered, I lowered the sleeve of my gray hoodie. It had appeared shortly after I was banished from my former pack, which meant they didn’t know about it - and I intended for it to stay that way.

“Ready,” I announced, grabbing my backpack before leaving my chambers with Theo following right behind me.

My Gamma, Elijah - who was also Theodore’s fated mate - was standing at the end of the hallway. He greeted me with a short nod, exchanging subtle, loving glances with my Beta afterward. It was sweet how their eyes still sparkled whenever they looked at each other, even after being together for years. If I were ever to believe in love again, I would blame those two.

As if I would let myself believe in something that doesn’t exist. I shook my head, regaining my focus, and assumed my usual neutral expression. Well, maybe it did exist, but certainly not for me. There was no room in my life for a partner, neither did I want one after the way my fated mate, the one person who was supposed to love me unconditionally, did to me.

Distracted, I was taken by surprise when we stepped outside the packhouse to notice almost my entire pack gathered there, waiting for me. It was true that Azure Smoke Pack wasn’t nearly as big as other groups, with just under thirty members. Still, I didn’t expect them all to come just to wish me a safe journey and good luck on my mission.

“They don’t just respect you, you know,” Theo whispered to me as we climbed into the car that would take us to Whispering Hills.

“They love you, Avril,” my Gamma concluded.

As we got comfortable on our seats, I realized they were both smiling at me. With a huff, I averted my gaze, staring out the window. “Why do you say that?”

Despite feigning oblivion, I knew very well they had been able to sense a change in my demeanor upon seeing my people. I liked to believe that I was impeccable at masking my emotions, but I would be stupid to think for a second that I could fool these two. Theo and Elijah were so close to me, they could easily tell the subtlest difference between my types of frowns. Still, that didn’t mean I would admit it.

For the sake of my pride, they played along, evident in how Theo simply replied “No reason,” before dropping the subject, while I pretended not to see the smile adorning the corner of his lips.

During our almost four-hour ride, I mentally revised the steps of our mission one last time to the sound of my friends chatting in the background. I was eventually able to tune them out completely, engrossed in thought. I couldn’t say I was focused, though; at least not on what I should focus. Rather, the unpleasant thought I had been trying to dismiss had grown too loud to ignore.

As much as I hated to acknowledge it, what made me the most uncomfortable about returning to Whispering Hills was having to see my former mate again. I was scared of how my wolf would react to being near him.

Although the resentment I felt toward Koen had only grown in the years we’d been apart, serving as fuel to my drive to become stronger, our souls had once been divinely tied together. Even if our bond was broken, who was to say I wouldn’t feel the pull again? It was evident our connection hadn’t been entirely destroyed, else I wouldn’t have recurring dreams about him.

Back when I had just assumed the leadership of Azure Smoke, I would dream about how almost every night, which wasn’t absurd; it was probably my mind trying to grasp onto the last string of familiarity I had when everything I knew was changing. As time passed, those dreams became less frequent, yet I would still meet him in my sleep once a year, always on my birthday.

At first, I blamed it on the trauma and grief, but I was starting to consider it could be the mate pull trying to lead me back to him. Either way, of one thing I was certain - magically attracted to him or not, I would never take him back. And, considering the way he casually rejected me, I hoped the feeling would be mutual.

Suddenly, the car came to an abrupt stop, interrupting my train of thought. I immediately looked up to find four wolves blocking our path. They were accompanied by men in uniform - guards. We had reached Whispering Hills borders.

“They don’t look happy to see us,” Theo observed, turning to me afterward. “Maybe they’ll be friendlier once they see you.”

“I highly doubt that,” I huffed.

“You are in Whispering Hills territory!” One of the guards shouted from behind one of the beasts. “Identify yourselves and state your business!”

Here we go. I sighed, climbing out of the car with my hands raised to show them we meant no harm. It didn’t take them long to recognize me, and they promptly assumed an attacking stanced. As expected, my presence made them even less thrilled.

“What are you doing here, omega?” the guard growled. “This is not your home anymore. There’s nothing here for you. Leave before we chase you out!”

“Don’t worry, I have a pack of my own now,” I spat, not in the least scared of his threat. The shock in his face was palpable. “I’m a representative of Azure Smoke Pack. I came here with an offer for your alpha.”

“Alpha Koen is busy. He won’t deal with the likes of you!” the man insisted.

Another sigh broke through my lips, this time as a result of my waning patience. “Look, if you can just take me and my fellow pack mates to him-”

“Are you deaf? Our alpha has more important things to do, and so do I. Leave!” he roared, and the guards in wolf form stepped closer to me, baring their fangs.

In the blink of an eye, Theo and Elijah were both standing protectively in front of me. Although they knew I could take these guards down by myself, they didn’t appreciate the disrespect toward their alpha. I couldn’t let Whispering Hills know what I had become, but if things continued to escalate, the truth would inevitably come out.

Oh, s**t. How could I avoid our mission to end before it even began? Diplomacy was always the one thing I struggled the most with as a leader, and it proved indispensable in our current situation. Damn it, Avril!

Thankfully, before chaos was installed, a powerful howl caught the guards’ attention. The wolves backed down, while the humans stood in formation with their heads low. In the distance, I saw a pure white wolf with eyes of green, deep as a forest. I immediately recognized him - it was the mate who rejected me, the alpha of Whispering Hills.

My breath caught as I watched him approach us, confusion written all over his expression. Once he was beside his guards, he shifted back into his human form, putting on a pair of shorts he had brought with him. Only then did his eyes land on me. As if he had seen a ghost, his face turned white; judging by my drumming heart, I probably looked just as astonished.

Then, the voice I hadn’t heard in five years vibrated in my ears. “Avril?”