Vague Rejection

CHAPTER 3: 100 times a therapist was needed

RED

I groaned when I was suddenly pulled out of my sleep by a rather strong arm shaking me awake.

"Oh Red! You're fine!" I frowned and finally opened my eyes to get my bearings, but all I saw was red hair. Lots of it.

"Mom? Want to explain why you're shaking me awake at-" I glance at the gold-encrusted grandfather's clock at the corner of my room, "-4 am in the morning?"

It was still dark outside and the only light illuminating my room was coming from my slightly ajar door and I could faintly hear hurried footsteps and urgent voices at the far end of the hall. "Mom, what's happening?" I pulled away and studied my mom's slightly disheveled features. "Mom. What is happening?"

She sighs and rests her hand on top of her chest, trying to calm herself down. "Some of the Rebel loyalists who attempted to escape had, for some reason, had poisoned the guards and were able to get the keys. We think there might be a mole in the palace."

Her words got my full attention, making my wolf alert of our surroundings. "I- I just thought maybe they could have gotten to you again." I sighed. Her worries are completely valid.

"Mom, they didn't get to me last time, Henry technically sold me to them." My mother's caring, worried demeanour automatically shifted to annoyance as she slapped my hand.

"That's not funny, Reddiane!" I laughed and, out of impulse, hugged my mom, something I hadn't done since we entered the palace.

"I know but there's too much going on right now and if we don't find a way to laugh a little, we will be damning ourselves to eternal sadness." I stated quietly, feeling a deep emptiness in my chest. How can my heart feel so heavy but hollow at the same time?

"Red, tell me what's wrong." She gets on her feet, closes the double doors softly and locks them behind her and faces me slowly.

"You haven't been yourself for the past months; I know something happened and you're not telling me."

I hold my breath as she walks towards my bed and sits on my mattress gently. I notice she's still in her night gown and has no shoes on; probably in a hurry to get to me. I should tell her, shouldn't I? She's my mother and she only wants what's best for me, but knowing her, she might go all ape fudge crazy on Abe. I mean, not that I care, but it would be such a hassle trying to explain to people why a well respected doctor is acting like an Alpha.

"I found my mate." I watched as my mother processed my words slowly. I could literally see the gears in her brain turning as she tried to grasp the sentence. "And he has a chosen mate."

Silence.

Just when I thought she'd need more time to process my words, her face contorts into a very unpaintable picture. She's mad.

Very mad.

"Mom?"

She takes a deep breath and then lets it all out. "REDDIANE THOMPSON! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! WHO IS THIS BASTARD?" My eyes widened at the sheer volume of her voice and I immediately hopped up to put my hands over her mouth.

"Mom! You'll alert people!" I mean everyone's on high alert and my mother screaming inside of my room will for sure make people come this way.

She removes my hands harshly from her mouth and glares at me. "I don't care! I need a name. Red!"

"Why?" I wanted to keep this secret as hushed as possible. The more people know about it, it becomes more true.

"Because I won't treat him—No, more like I will not let anyone in the hospital wing treat him if he's injured." I laughed despite the heaviness I felt and the low mood my wolf is in. Talking about our mate does that to her.

"Mother, that is petty. Lady Noelle wouldn't have approved of that." Yep, Lady Noelle hated being petty. She would always turn the other cheek and take everything in stride.

"Well, she can yell at me when I get to the after life but for now, names, Red!" I shake my head no and squeeze her hands.

"Red." I looked away from her piercing green eyes, much like mine, but her eyes scared me. Especially when they get that mad, the impatient look that they get. "Red I will not repeat myself." Oh no, here comes mama wolf!

You know, I never really understood why they say mama bear. Wolves are obviously more protective, obsessive and scary-- Red! Concentrate!

"Wanna guess?" I stalled, trying to prepare my heart and my wolf. I don't know why I can't just blurt out his name.

"Red." I suck in a deep breath as my mother's voice becomes sterner.

"It's Abe." I watched her for any reaction but she remained impassive and quiet.

"The Alpha?" I jumped at her sudden question but nodded my head in reply. She knows who the mate is and she probably knows how complicated this situation is.

"When I get my hands on him, I swear I'll-"

"Do nothing. You will do nothing mother." She glares at me but I stand my ground; standing my ground against my mother scares the s**t out of me too! "Let me handle this. I can get through this, I just know it."

She opens her mouth to talk, but I continue before she can get a word out. "I just need you to be there for me when I need someone to listen to me or even I need to cry." I give her a sad smile, trying to bask in the comfort my wolf is offering me. "I may seem like a dumb ass sometimes but I still get hurt you know? Sometimes I'm serious too."

"Fine. Just know that I love you and if you need me to castrate him, I'd gladly do that." I laugh as she pulls me in for a long hug, the rebel loyalists were long forgotten by now, overshadowed by my mate problems.

Aren't I such a girl?

• • •

"Hey, didn't you get enough sleep?" I shook my head no and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Mother woke me up at 4am today and we had a haaaangtak-" I yawned and wiped the tears from my eyes before saying the words again. "-we had a long talk."

I don't even bother glancing at him. He probably knows what our talk was about.

"What was her reaction?"

"Eh. Typical mama bear." He stayed silent and so did I. I wasn't in the mood to talk or play, I just wanted quiet. I mean it's not like we can really do any of those things anyway. We were on the podium, waiting for the Queen to make a speech about the rebel loyalists that attempted to escape.

All the warriors lined all sides of the halls, all clad in uniform while the Alphas and the council were seated in chairs with tables in the center. Some prisoners, like Henry, were seated at the very front with wolfsbane vines encrusted in silver and diamond dust, were wrapped around his wrists and ankles, preventing all sorts of movement impossible. I was supposed to be seated somewhere in the middle beside my mother but she was back at the hospital wing tending to the wounded and while I do like the idea of sitting down, I'd much rather stand beside Link at the further door from the podium rather than sit a meter from Abe who, thankfully, I cannot see thanks to the huge column blocking my view.

'Red.' I stood straight up and so did my wolf.

'Yes, Your Majesty?' I mean she's basically my second mom, but when she speaks through the mind link, her dominance just exerts itself into my consciousness.

'You're allowed to leave anytime you want. You don't have to stay for the boring parts. Sapphire isn't here anyway.' I laughed heartily. The queen sure does know me. I mean, the last time I went to a meeting, I snored out loud; also it was right in front of Abe— maybe that's why he's still not accepting me. He probably doesn't want an adorkable mate like me.

Yes, I am adorkable. Any argument against this fact is automatically invalid.

"All rise for the Queen." Link stands straighter and holds his head higher as the Queen enters the side door and walks up the stage with Jed and Sonia, her new adviser and first lady, trailing after her.

Everyone stands up from their seats and bows their heads in acknowledgement to their Queen.

"Everyone, please take your seats." The instantaneous sound of chairs scraping the marble floors could be heard as the Queen adjusted the microphone on the lectern.

" Due to the events that just happened this morning, all cases and trials are postponed until next month." I bristled in my spot, my mouth falling open as her majesty's words meant something totally different to me. She may as well have said 'Abe and Melanie are staying for one more month.' Damn these stupid rebels!

A low murmur spread throughout the room but soon returned to silence when the Queen cleared her throat.

"Next, the events this morning were surprising to say the least, fortunately our warriors were able to subdue those who were trying to escape-" The more the Queen talked, the more I didn't understand her words. Abe was staying here for a month more. My body was having a weird late reaction to the news and I didn't know what to do. My chest felt tight, I couldn't breathe and my eyes somehow found Abe and Melanie hand in hand on one of the bottom chairs.

My wolf suddenly slams into my consciousness and urges my body to leave the podium, something I was very glad to follow.

"I'll leave first." I mumbled to Link, not waiting for any response before I turned around and left. My hands were sweating and all I wanted to do was scream.

I should just reject him.

You told him you'd give him one year.

I took my words back! Stupid conscience!

You always stick to your word. Like the true woman you are.

I don't care if I become a duck! I can't take anymore of this!

You promised.

No I didn't.

Fine then, can you reject him?

... I mean... I should.

Can you really find it in you?

I- "oof." My inner monologue gets cut short when pain explodes on my forehead and I find myself on the grass, belatedly realising that I had literally smacked into a tree.

"Are you okay?" I looked up at where the small voice was coming from and found a small kid with an arm sling, seated on one of the tree's lower branches.

"Hey little one!" I stood up and brushed my butt off some grass and squinted at the throbbing pain that is now my head. "What's your name?"

"Kelly! I'm five thomorrow!" I smiled at the chubby brown-haired angel.

"Well, Happy birthday!" Just as I finally got my bearings again, I realised just how odd this situation is.

"Hey Kelly?" I took my hands to shield my eyes from the sun as I looked around and again just now realised that I had walked into the gardens.

"Yeth?" Oh heavens, this child has a lisp! That's so cute!

"How'd you get up there?" I asked, already starting to climb the tree so I could sit beside her. This tiny Cherub could be the perfect distraction.

"Um, I athked Bothy to plathe me up here." I frown and grunt as I finally managed to sit on the branch beside hers.

"Who the heck is Bothy?" I asked, mentally trying to figure out exactly how tall this person is, that he is able to place a child directly on a low tree branch, he must be at least six feet and five inches.

"Not Bothy! It's Bo-th-y!" She tried to syllabicate the words but still, it came out as Bothy.

"You mean, Bossy?" She nods her head eagerly then suddenly looks behind me.

"There he is! Bothy! I'm up here!" I turned to her line of sight and saw a really tall man run towards the tree, with two water bottles in his hands.

I observed him as he ran. Long thick legs, well-defined arms, golden tan skin and shoulder-length light brown hair. His body was amazing, but I still couldn't see his face.

"Bothy!" Kelly calls again as she waves her uninjured arm in the air and he finally looks up, locking eyes with me.

His body is not only amazing, so was his face.