Rejected Luna's Return

Chapter 9

SELENE'S POV

I was still completely confused. I still wasn't sure what I did to have the alpha's mother coming for me with so much anger in her eyes. But how could I have possibly done anything to upset her when I don't even go out? I haven't even set my eyes on her since that one time.

Not knowing what to do or say, considering I hadn't been prepared for this situation, I chose not to say a word. Instead, I silently bowed my head before her in respect, keeping my eyes on the floor in hopes of showing her that I wasn't looking to have or cause any trouble.

"Keep your greetings to yourself, young lady. I don't need it, nor do I want anything to do with it," Maryce said. I found myself trembling slightly at the coldness in her voice. She sounded so angry, almost like I'd actually done something to upset her, which I know can't possibly be the case. For a moment, I contemplated asking if I'd done anything wrong, anything to upset her. But then I had a feeling that I might only make things worse if I did. She doesn't look like a very nice person. I don't think she'll appreciate me speaking at the same time as she was. So, I continued to remain silent, holding my breath as she stood there glaring at me for reasons I had no idea of.

Then, after about a minute or so, she finally spoke.

"Who are you?" she asked, and I must admit her question caught me a little off guard, seeing as I already answered all the questions her son had for me on my first day here. Shouldn't she go to him with her questions? Why would she come to me?

And how am I supposed to answer this question of hers? Moon goddess, help me. Please.

"Maryce _" Allison started to speak only to immediately snap her mouth shut when the woman in question immediately turned to her with a harsh glare.

"Allison, dear, give us a moment, would you? This is between me and the stray, not you. Leave."

My eyes widened in panic as soon as Maryce said those words, and I immediately turned to Allison, slowly shaking my head at her in a silent plea for her not to leave. I wasn't sure what this woman had in mind, but I could already tell it wasn't anything good. I didn't like her, and I would rather not be left alone with her.

"I'm sure you heard what I said, Allison. Don't make me repeat myself now. Be a darling and step out, shut the door behind you," Maryce said once more when Allison remained in the room. She turned to look at me with eyes filled with worry, and I once again shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Selene," Allison mouthed sadly to me before reluctantly turning around and walking out of the room.

And then I was actually alone. With her. The woman who continued to shoot daggers at me even now.

I started to shift uncomfortably in my spot as I waited for her to speak, and I didn't have to wait long.

"You know what I hate the most, Selene?" Maryce asked, and I slowly shook my head in reply.

"Well, you should. Because you, my dear, are doing the exact same thing right now. I hate being ignored, Selene. I hate being made to repeat myself, especially over something that isn't even worth my time. When I ask you something, I expect you to give me an answer," Maryce said, still referring to her question about who I was. I swallowed heavily before slowly nodding my head.

"I- I apologize, Ma'am. My name is Selene. I'm from a faraway pack. I was forced to leave my pack due to unforeseen circumstances. The Alpha Aldric helped rescue me from danger and brought me here," I said, answering her questions as best as I could.

"In other words, you're a rogue," Maryce said, and my eyes widened as I immediately shook my head.

"No, ma'am. I'm not a rogue, not at all. I swear I'm a normal pack wolf," I hurried to explain, not wanting to have to face the consequences of her believing that I was a rogue.

Maryce was silent for a few minutes, and I held my breath, not having any idea what she was going to say next.

Then, after what felt like forever, she finally spoke.

"Whatever it was, I think you've overstayed your welcome here, Selene. I don't see any injuries on you, which means you already made a full recovery. There's no reason for you to continue to remain here. Now, I'm going to have to kindly ask you to be on your way. Respectfully."

I felt my heart drop as the words left her mouth.

Leave? But- but I can't. I have nowhere else to go. I can't go back. Thorin would kill me on sight.

"Ma'am, I- alpha Aldric said-"

"I don't care what my son may or may not have said to you, Selene. Whatever he said was merely out of pity. Nothing more. Cold-hearted as he can be sometimes, my Aldric has quite a soft spot for your kind. He's quite big on charity, so I understand why he would bring you here when he first found you in those woods. But like I said earlier, you've overstayed your welcome, and seeing as I would much rather avoid any form of distraction in the very near future, I'm once again kindly asking you to leave my house."

Her voice held a scary amount of coldness and dislike as she spoke, her eyes roaming up and down my whole form with a clear look of disgust, causing my eyes to tear up.

I suddenly felt even more hopeless than I already knew I was, not just because I was still worried about where to go from here but also because of the way she looked at me. It was the same look I'd seen in Thorin's eyes that night when everything went to ruin. The same look that Kira, my supposed sister, had in her eyes when she stared at me that night. Like I was nothing. Like I was completely useless and worthless, the lowest of the low. Like I was not deserving of anything at all. Like it would have been much better if I hadn't even existed at all in the first place.

It hurt. It hurt so much even though I knew I shouldn't be much affected by it this time around. I didn't know her, and I shouldn't care about what she thought of me. I was only staying here until I could figure out a way out of my current situation; it wasn't a permanent residence. I shouldn't care. Her words shouldn't mean anything to me, nothing at all.

So then why does it hurt so much? Why do I suddenly feel like it's happening all over again? Maybe because it's true and has been all along.

I'm nothing but a mere omega, one whose mate couldn't even fully accept. It was bad enough that I got rejected by both my mate and my only surviving family. My pack. Why did I think I could possibly be accepted by anyone else? I should have seen this coming. I should have prepared myself for something like this. It was inevitable.

"I'll work. I'll clean, I'll cook. I'll do the laundry, whatever you want me to. I won't ask for any payments, I only ask for one thing in return. Let me stay. I promise it'll only be for a little while, just enough time for me to figure out where to go. Please," I begged in a small voice that was barely above a whisper as I felt a single tear roll down my cheek.

She can't throw me out. I have nowhere to go. I felt another tear roll down my cheek as I waited for her answer, and when it finally did...

"I don't think you quite understood me, Selene. This isn't up for a bargain. I have a bad feeling about you, my dear, a very terrible one. I know your kind, Selene, and let me tell you they do not belong here. YOU do not belong here. You're here only as a charity case, and even that is done. Long overdue. I believe we've done more than enough for you as it is, wouldn't you agree? Because let me tell you, Selene, whatever your actual mission is, it will not be carried out in this pack, nor will it be happening under my very own roof. People like you exist only to bring bad luck with you wherever you go. Trust me, I've seen my own fair share. But you will not be doing that here. I won't let that happen. I will not let you."

I was at a complete loss for words. Her words confused me. I couldn't figure out what exactly it was she was trying to say. What was she getting at? Barely any of her words made sense. Why would she think that I was here to cause anyone any harm? Bad luck? She sounded so sure of herself. She spoke like she already had an opinion of me, and I can't even figure out how. She doesn't know me.

Also, why would she assume that I came here on a mission? Until that horrible night, I didn't even know that Night Crescent was located around these parts. I've only ever heard of it, and even those aren't anything serious. What did I do to make her so suspicious of me? Aside from the fact that I was practically a stranger, that is.

"You have fifteen minutes, Selene. If those seconds run out and I find out that you're still in this house, I'll have the guards escort you out. Fifteen minutes, dear. Not a second more. I wish you the very best," Maryce said coldly before turning around and storming out of the room, not even bothering to close the door behind her.

I felt a few more tears roll down my cheeks as I stumbled onto the bed behind me.

What do I do? Where am I supposed to go? How do I

survive? I can't even feel my wolf at the moment. I haven't heard anything from Aliya since I woke up at the pack hospital. At first, I'd thought she was still recovering from the betrayal and the rejection, but it's been days now, and there's still nothing from her. It's almost like she isn't even there anymore, and it scared me. How am I supposed to survive out there without the help and support of my wolf, for goddess's sake?!

"Aliya?" I tried again to call out to my wolf, but just like in the past few days, I was only met with silence. She wasn't here. And I don't know where she is or even if she's coming back. What is wrong with me? Am I cursed?

"Aliya, please. I need you. Please come back. Please."

"Aliya. I'm scared..."

Still silence.

I could feel more tears falling as I thought of what to do.

"Selene?" Allison called as she rushed back into the room, shutting the door behind her. "I'm sorry, Selene. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to leave, I swear I didn't. But I couldn't disobey her; it never ends well. But I didn't really go far, though. I was just around the corner. I heard everything she said. Selene, what are you going to do now? What do we do?" Allison spoke worriedly, her voice full of sadness and concern as she sat beside me on the bed.

"I don't know. I have to leave. I'll go," I said through my tears, but Allison immediately shook her head.

"Are you serious?! That's the last thing I was expecting to hear when I came in here, Selene. I thought we were going to join hands and figure out a way to solve this issue? Not agree that you'll leave. That was not the plan," Allison said with a frown, but she didn't understand. She wouldn't. She couldn't even if she tried, and frankly, I didn't expect her to. She may have heard what Maryce said, but she didn't know how deep her words had cut. She didn't know what words like that did to me. She didn't know how much they broke me, tore me apart from the inside out until there was nothing left of me.

"No. You can't leave, Selene. You said yourself you have nowhere else to go at the moment. Listen, why don't we go see the alpha? I mean, he brought you into this pack, right? And also, he said you could stay, remember? For as long as you want, Selene. Let's go see him," Allison suggested frantically and desperately, but I immediately shook my head no.

I would much rather not. I didn't want any more trouble. This is probably for the best anyway. I can't hide out here forever. How long before they figure out what really happened and they start hating me too? Alpha Aldric would probably kill me himself if he knew what I was hiding from him. No doubt he would see what I did as an act of deceit no matter how much I try to excuse my actions. I can't continue to stay here and risk things getting to that point. I have to leave. I have to get out of here before any more damage is done.

So, I grabbed Allison's hands and forced a smile through my tears as I spoke to her. "It's okay, Allison. I'll be fine. Thank you again. For everything. I'll always remember," I assured her, giving her hands a little squeeze before letting go and standing up from the bed. I looked around the room for what was no doubt the last time, and realizing that there was nothing for me to pack, I returned my attention to Allison, who by now also had tears in her eyes as she stared silently at the ground.

"Goodbye, Allison," I whispered to her, pulling her into a quick hug before letting go and walking out of the room.

"It's okay, Selene. Remember this is for the best," I reminded myself once more as I descended the stairs and headed out the main door of the pack house.

As I crossed the border, officially leaving the Night Crescent territory, I found myself asking the same question I've been asking myself since the morning I woke up in the hospital.

Why?

Why me?