Repeating My Rejection

Chapter Four

Saturday rolled around with no sign of the new student. Hudson had become pretty sure that the guy wasn’t going to bother turning up, but had still kept an eye out for any face he didn’t recognise.

The door to his room burst open as he slept, a small body jumping on top of him and wrapping their arms around his neck as he grunted and tried to hide under the covers.

‘Wake up Huds’ came the sing song voice of his seven year old sister.

‘It’s too early titch’ he growled from deep within the blankets, ‘go away and come back at a reasonable hour.’

‘It’s six o’clock’ came the defiant voice above him as two small hands started to tug at his coverings.

After Hudson had been born, his parents had struggled to conceive again, and after many years they had accepted that he would be their only child, so they stopped trying. It had come as a shock to everyone when, eleven years later, the Luna had started to feel ill and when checked by the pack doctor, was informed she was carrying a pup.

The Alpha and Luna had been thrilled and from the moment she had been born, Tilly had been spoilt by everyone in the pack, including her older brother. Now, as a seven year old she wolf, she didn’t take no for an answer and Hudson groaned loudly when she abandoned his covers and began to jump up and down on him, screaming ‘get up, get up, get up!’

‘It’s a good job I love you’ he grumbled as he dragged the covers down to glare at the little girl who was beaming at him, ‘anyone else would have gone out that window for waking me this early.’

Tilly giggled, ‘you say that every weekend’ she retorted, hopping off him and running over to his drawers to pull them open and grab him some clothes, throwing them at his head.

‘Hey, watch it’ the Alpha growled as a pair of jeans smacked him in the face, what do you even want to do today?’

‘I want to go swimming’ his sister replied as she rummaged for his swimming trunks, ‘you promised we could go to the lake.’

‘I meant at a reasonable time of the day Til’ Hudson groaned, dropping back onto the pillow.

‘But this way we get the whole lake to ourselves’ Tilly pouted, turning her deep brown eyes on her brother. ‘You said you would teach me to swim’ she added, her eyes narrowing, ‘did you lie?’

His mouth opened to argue. It was cut off by his sister’s piercing scream of ‘MUUUUUUUUUUUUM’

‘Shhh!’ he hissed, jumping out of bed and slamming his hand over his sister’s mouth, cutting off the sound. ‘I didn’t lie, we can go swimming, just let me get ready.’

Tilly shook her head, dislodging his hand as she grinned evilly up at him, ‘you have five minutes or I’m going to mum and dad’s room’ she warned, before turning on her heel and prancing out to get her own swimming costume on.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Hudson shut the door behind her, ripping off his sleepwear and pulling on the trunks, followed by the jeans that had been thrown at him moments before.

Dragging a t-shirt over his head, he walked into the bathroom attached to his room and did his morning routine, splashing some water on his face to wake himself up. With a heavy sigh, he stalked toward his door, yanking it open to find Tilly already standing outside, hand raised as if to grab the door handle.

The Alpha couldn’t help but smile as he took in his little sister, who stood there with a bright neon pink swimming costume on, a pair of pink goggles around her head plus water wings on each arm.

‘You going to walk to the lake like that?’ he asked as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.

Tilly scoffed, ‘of course not’ she replied bluntly, ‘you are going to carry me, well Harvey is’ she corrected, talking about his giant black wolf.

In his head, Harvey snorted, ‘in her dreams’ he grumbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes.

‘Harvey is not feeling up to carrying you, he isn’t a horse’ Hudson said to the seven year old, who raised an eyebrow challengingly.

Taking a deep breath, her mouth opened as her brother’s eyes widened, ‘OK, OK, He’ll carry you!’ he whisper shouted, ignoring his wolf who growled warningly.

‘I’m not a pack mule, I’m an Alpha wolf’ Harvey muttered darkly, ‘little miss spoilt needs to learn the difference.’

Groaning, Hudson rolled his eyes, ‘dude, it’s too early for this, pick your battles will ya, I don’t need mum on our case because Til is screaming the house down at six am.’

Leading the way downstairs, the pair exited the packhouse and Hudson quickly stripped, folding up his clothes and shifting into his huge wolf.

Squealing excitedly, Tilly rushed over to the huge beast and flung her arms around him, ‘Harvey you are so cuddly’ she gushed into his fur as the wolf tried to remain annoyed with the tiny girl that barely reached his shoulder.

‘Grab my clothes Til’ came Hudson’s voice through the mind link to her, the little girl nodding as she scooped them up along with his shoes, before straightening up and hopping from one foot to the other impatiently.

Giving a loud, annoyed sigh, Harvey lowered himself to the ground, waiting as the small she wolf scrambled onto his back, securing the clothes between herself and the wolf before taking a double handful of the thick fur in her hands.

Standing slowly, Harvey checked that she was secure before bounding forward, heading toward the forest, smiling in his wolfish way at the screams of happiness coming from his little sister.

‘Faster Harvey, faster!’ she yelled as they darted through the trees, dodging left and right, jumping over fallen logs as the wind whipped at their faces. It took twenty minutes for the pair to reach the lake, breaking through the tree line to the deserted water body just as the sun fully peeked over the horizon.

Slowing to a trot, Harvey stopped just before the water and lay down, Tilly sliding off and rushing toward the lake only to be halted by teeth in the back of her swimsuit.

Looking over her shoulder, she frowned, ‘I was just going to look while you shift back’ she muttered sulkily.

Harvey glared at her, staring her down until the little girl dropped her gaze, ‘OK, I’ll wait’ she sighed.

Releasing her, the wolf nodded curtly before shifting back into her tall, imposing brother who pulled on his swimming trunks before taking her hand and walking to the water's edge.

Dipping their toes in, Hudson laughed as Tilly squeaked from the cold, ‘you’re a werewolf Til’s’ he goaded, ‘we don’t feel the cold.’

His sister glared at him, ‘I can’t shift yet’ she argued huffily, ‘so I don’t get as hot as you do.’

Shrugging, The Alpha swung her up into his arms before striding into the rippling water, smirking as his sister screamed and struggled, trying to get away.

‘No, put me down, it’s cold’ she whined.

‘You wanted to learn to swim, Tilly bear’ Hudson replied, holding her tightly, ‘can’t do that on the shore.’

Once he was up to his waist, the werewolf dipped down suddenly so that they were both submerged up to their shoulders.

‘I hate you!’ Tilly wailed as she clung to him, shivering.

‘No you don’t, you love me’ Hudson replied, tickling her ribs.

‘You are a mean brother’ the small she wolf pouted, ‘I wish Garrett was my brother, he wouldn’t have dunked me.’

‘Garrett also would have kicked your ass for waking him up at the butt crack of dawn’ the Alpha mock growled.

Tilly’s eyes widened, ‘oooooo’ she said, ‘you said a bad word! I’m telling mum!’

Hudson growled again, ‘you tell mum and I’ll tell her that it was you that broke her favourite vase last week’ he threatened.

His sister’s face whitened, ‘I can keep a secret’ she said quickly, ‘I won’t tell.’

Nodding triumphantly, Hudson slowly unwound his sister from his waist, keeping his hands on her sides so she didn’t panic as he began to teach her how to float.

An hour later and she was doggy paddling around him, shouting in excitement, ‘look Huds, I’m swimming!’

‘Yes you are Tilly bear, you are doing really good’ Hudson replied proudly.

‘Looking good Tilly!’ Came Garrett's voice from behind them, the pair turning around to find the Beta standing on the shore watching them.

‘Look Garrett! Hudson taught me to swim’ the little girl called out, her arms splashing water everywhere as the water wings held her up.

‘Yeah, you will soon be able to beat your brother in a race, though that might hurt his poor Alpha pride. You know he doesn’t like to lose’ Garrett called back, grinning whilst Hudson flipped him off.

Heading back to shore, the two siblings walked out, sitting down on the grass in the sun to dry as Hudson looked up at his friend questioningly.

‘Luna sent me’ Garrett explained, answering his unasked question, ‘you went off without leaving a note . . . again’ he added pointedly.

Hudson rolled his eyes, ‘Mum knows that this pain wakes me up every Saturday morning while it's still dark, why does she even worry anymore’ he grumbled.

‘Uh, because Tilly is seven?’ Garrett replied, sitting down next to his best friend and reaching out to help the little girl out of her water wings.

‘And I’m nineteen and the future Alpha, what harm will she come to with me?’ Hudson retorted in annoyance.

Tilly’s eyes glazed over for a second before she glanced at her brother, ‘ Mum says I have to go back to the packhouse’ she grumbled sadly.

Hudson nodded, standing up and pulling his clothes on over his wet trunks, and lacing his trainers, before crouching down and letting Tilly climb onto his back for a piggy back ride.

‘Your not as comfy as Harvey’ she commented as the trio headed back toward the pack house.

‘Unless you want to walk the rest of the way back, pipsqueak, I’d keep those thoughts to yourself’ her brother retorted, jostling her slightly.