Burned by Rejection (Book 4 of Wolves of Milano )

11.Rejection

Elio shakes his head at Vito and all the elders that support him. Even after this display, the bastards are still on his side. He can’t understand why anyone would be. He looks over at Allegra’s mother with a glare to keep her quiet. That woman has ruined everything. Now he has to get out of this damn ambush and find Allegra. He could feel her run away. He could feel her emotions and he fears that she might do something stupid. The girl is a mess. She is a mental patient that was never treated. Her panic attacks are dangerous, and right now she is all alone out there. 

“You can keep your threats. I didn’t get all my medals and my rank by sitting in a comfy office.” Elio smiles coldly. “You better remember who I am. And think twice before you threaten me again.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Vito growls at his back.

“To find Allegra.” Elio answers over his shoulder. He will not turn back around. If he can get away fast enough, Vito can’t order him to stay. So he won’t give the sick bastard the chance to do it. He ignores the pain shooting up his leg and walks out at a brisk pace.

‘I know where she is.’ His wolf tells him.

‘How do you know?’ Elio wonders. Is there something his wolf neglected to tell him? He was ready to track her the old-fashioned way. Sniff the air and follow her scent.

‘We are mates. Can’t you feel it? Just like you felt her terror and panic. Just like you knew she ran.’ The wolf explains.

‘Hm? Guide me. I fear she might do something stupid.’ He responds.

‘Forest at the end of the street.’ The wolf chuffs.

Oh, well. A dress uniform is not exactly perfect to go crawling around the forest, but she is more important. He is sure a dry cleaner can get it fixed. He walks down to the forest, only to encounter a high fence. Did she climb it? It’s too high to jump, even for shifters. Scenting the air and the bushes, he catches her scent. She ran alongside the fence. Is there a gate or just a tear in the metal mesh fence? He follows his nose and almost misses the hole. It’s partially covered by an evergreen bush. Hoping not to tear the jacket, he crawls to the other side.

She has quite the advantage here. She knows the terrain and she was running. He has to walk slowly and let his wolf guide him in the right direction. The smell of stale water hits his nose and he chuffs. Is she by the water? How can she stand this stench? But, if she is there, it will mask her scent as well. He creeps to the edge of the old pond, slowly and carefully, to keep the noise down. He can see her shoes before he steps on them. The wolf was right! She is here somewhere.

He stands still and listens. The traffic is far away, the hum of the forest is minimal, and there is low panting coming from his left. Elio crouches down at the bush. He pushes the branches out and sees a wolf lying there. Her golden eyes are open. She is looking directly at him, but other than that, she shows no sign of aggression. 

“Can you come out of there? I’ll just hold you. I won’t force you to go back there.” Elio asks the wolf. He will regret this later, he thinks. But he sits down on the ground and pats the space next to him. It’s all up to her.

The wolf looks at him for some time, but then she crawls closer to him and lays her head in his lap. She trusts him. He sinks his fingers into her fur to give her comfort. Should he talk to her? What can he say to make it better? It would be so much easier to just kill the problem, but he can’t do it. He would have to challenge the Alpha. He is confident that he could win a fight even without shifting, but that really wouldn’t solve anything. He can’t lead a pack. Half of the Alpha ceremony takes place in shifted form and he can’t shift. He would just create more problems by taking Vito out.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers to the wolf in his lap. “They are all crazy. I know your idea was great. It would pass in every normal pack.”

The wolf only whimpers in reply. She is sad, he can feel it.

“I will still help you. I don’t know how just yet. I wish I could take Vito out for you, but I can’t.” He shakes his head and the wolf moves her paw onto his hand. 

“I can’t promise that everything will be OK, but I can try.” He tells her. He continues to pet the wolf. It’s not something he has ever done before. Wolves are not pets. She is letting him do this, there is no mistake about it. The amount of trust she has in him is staggering. 

She nudges his jacket with her head and whines. She wants to shift back, but her dress is ruined. Elio slips his jacket off and drapes it over the wolf. It will provide some modesty for her, but they have to find her some clothes. Why didn’t he think about that before? He watches the wolf morph back into Allegra. She wraps his jacket around her and huddles into herself next to him. He pulls her onto his lap and hugs her close. No need to talk, he knows it’s comfort she needs.

“How did you find me?” Allegra whispers some time later.

“My wolf knew where you were. I just followed the directions.” He answers. It’s half of the truth. She is too rattled to hear the rest. And she made it clear that she didn’t want anything real. She doesn’t want a man at all.

“There is a small garden shed at the edge of the forest. Before the park begins. I never went up to the mansion, but I used that shed to stash a few things there in any case.” She tells him.

“Let’s see if they are there.” Elio helps her stand. “Can you walk? Your shoes are still intact.”

“These are not good for forest tracking.” She chuckles and picks her shoes up in her hand. “I can go barefoot.”

She shows him the shed and the loose boards on the back. The way inside is too narrow for him, so he waits outside. There is no need to break the lock for this. 

“My backpack is still here.” Allegra tells him. He can hear the rustling of a sports jacket. 

“Good. Do you have a plan? I can cover for you, but they will be looking.” Elio responds to her. He can’t hide her. That damn house is crawling with other wolves.

“I can hide for a few days.” She says as she emerges back from the shed. She hands his jacket back to him: “Thank you for this.”

“It’s fine. It looked good on you.” He smiles. Damn, she looks fragile right now. She can’t do this alone, but he can’t go with her.

“Do you need anything?” He inquires softly.

“No. I have some cash and a change of clothes. I don’t have my phone, but I can manage.” She sighs.

“I have your phone.” Elio smiles. He slipped it in his pocket with his, just in case she might need it. He hands it over to her and the grateful smile he gets in return warms his heart.

“Thank you. I’m lost without my phone.” Allegra smiles back at him.

“Do you want me to drive you somewhere?” He offers it to her. “I can pick you up on the next street over? No one will see you if you follow the fence on this side.”

“No. I have a plan and it’s better if you don’t know. Uncle can’t order you to tell him if you don’t know.” Allegra shakes her head. “I think it’s time to let our deal go. It didn’t work, but I do appreciate all you did for me.”

“Don’t do it!” Elio begs. She is his mate! He would go to the end of the world for her. “Allegra, please don’t shut me out.”

“I have to. Nothing good will come of this. I’m not a good mate, I can’t be.” She pushes him away. “Let me go. It’s not too late for you. You don’t know me yet.”

“I do know you. Don’t you feel it? I can’t let you go.” He risks her getting mad, but she just can’t see it. “We are mates. That’s what my wolf has been telling me all day.” 

“No.” Allegra repeats. “I told you I can’t do that. I refuse the idea. I don’t want it. I don’t want you!”

“Don’t say it. Please don’t.” Elio looks at her. He can feel his wolf shake. It’s not anger this time, it’s fear. The proud wolf that never feared anything is afraid. She is going to break him. Where all the war horrors he’s seen never left a mark, this little girl will. 

“I have to. You will see it’s better this way.” She shakes her head. She walks backwards away from him. “I reject you, Elio Romano. Don’t follow me.”

“No. No. No.” Elio repeats the word a few more times. He stands there, rooted to the spot. He can only watch her leave him. She said it! She doesn’t want him! She rejected him! He can feel his heart break. He can hear his wolf howling in pain. He didn’t believe she would do it. He expected her to fight the attraction, but give in at the end. This is… He doesn’t know what this is. Can she do it? Just like this? And is it done? What now? He can go die a slow death, because he can’t live without her. How does she feel? She must feel something? Is she capable of ignoring everything and moving on? Can she do it? Is it possible to do it? He was told that a rejection by a true mate would slowly kill the wolf and drive the human part mad. 

Will she kill them both? Doesn’t she care? She had a whole career planned. What happened to that? Will she throw everything away? He hopes she won’t do anything stupid. He sits back on the ground, because his legs feel too heavy to walk. He calls his father, because there is no one else to call. He can’t bother his new friends with this. They are her family, not his.

“Elio? This is unexpected.” His father answers the phone.

“I know. I just don’t have anyone else to ask.” He sighs.

“What happened? More trouble?” His father inquires.

“Yeah. I met my mate. She just rejected me.” Elio tells him. “How long do I have before the madness sets in?”

“Oh my! Who is this ungrateful b***h? Is this because you can’t shift? Nobody else knows, right?” His father sounds worried for the first time.

“Her brother knows, but he’s not here right now. I miss him so much. He could talk to her, he could reason with her.” Elio says. “It wasn’t because of my leg that she rejected me. She is being forced into an arranged marriage. She is afraid. She is panicked, and I think she might be suicidal.”

“Give me a name.” His father orders.

“Allegra Tottzi, Vito’s niece.” Elio whispers.

“Damn!” His father exclaims. “You have three weeks. After that…it only gets worse. You will wish to be dead before it’s all over.”

‘No! I reject her rejection!’ His wolf growls.

‘You think it will help?’ Elio wonders. There is just about anything he would do to get her back.

‘I don’t know. I just refuse to give up. Find her!’ The wolf howls.