Her Return As An Alpha

Chapter 6 : The Abandoned Baby

Liana stumbled back home after her devastating meeting with Drew, the pain of his rejection like a dagger in her chest. The hope she had carried with her, the belief that she could prove herself, had been crushed under the weight of his words. As she approached her house, the flickering lights inside told her that her family was waiting. Her heart sank, knowing she had to face them with the news of her failure.

Entering the house, she found her parents and siblings gathered in the living room, their expressions eager and expectant. The silence was palpable as they waited for her to speak.

"Well?" her mother demanded, eyes gleaming with hope.

Liana took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she forced out the words. "Drew rejected me. He said he couldn’t put me through the pain of becoming Luna. He... he rejected me."

For a moment, the room was silent, the shock settling over them. Then, the criticisms began. Her father’s face contorted with anger. "You had one chance, Liana! One chance to prove yourself, and you failed!"

Her mother’s voice was cold and cutting. "You couldn’t even keep your fated mate. How useless can you be?"

Her younger sister, Lily, looked at her with disdain. "You embarrassed all of us. Now everyone will know that even the Alpha's son doesn't want you."

Her older brother, Jason, just shook his head in disappointment. "I knew it was a mistake to even think you could be anything more than an omega."

The harsh words cut through Liana, each one deepening the wound in her heart. Unable to bear the pain and humiliation, she fled to the attic, her sanctuary from the cruelty of the world. She collapsed onto her old, rickety bed, sobbing uncontrollably. The pain of Drew's rejection hit her full force, an agonizing ache that refused to fade.

For the next week, Liana hid in the attic, leaving only to complete her chores before retreating back to her refuge. Each day was a blur of tears and sorrow. The rejection burned within her, a constant reminder of her unworthiness. Her parents' harsh words echoed in her mind, amplifying her despair.

She worked through her chores with a single-minded determination, focusing on each task to keep her mind from the pain of the day. Her body moved mechanically, her hands scrubbing and cleaning, but her mind was far away, trapped in the dark memories of Drew's rejection and her family's scorn.

The attic became her sanctuary. She spent her days curled up on her bed, the tears flowing freely. The silence of the attic was a stark contrast to the noise and chaos of her emotions. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, trapped by the walls of her pain and despair.

One night, as the pain of the rejection woke her from a restless sleep, Liana crept down to the kitchen for some water. The moonlight streamed through the windows, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Passing by her parents' room, she heard their voices, low and angry.

"I can't believe we wasted all these years on her," her father said, his voice dripping with bitterness. "She's been nothing but a disappointment."

Her mother sighed heavily. "We should have abandoned her when we found her. She’s not even our blood. We took her in out of pity during that war with the Golden Arc pack, and this is how she repays us? By bringing us humiliation?"

Liana froze, her heart pounding. She had always known she was different, but to hear that she was adopted—and unwanted—was a crushing blow. She felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her. All her life, she had struggled to fit in, to be accepted, and now she knew the truth: she had never truly belonged.

"Do you remember that night?" her mother continued, her voice softening slightly. "It was chaos. The Golden Arc pack had launched a surprise attack, and we were forced to retreat into the deeper parts of the territory. That’s when we found her, a tiny baby, crying near the edge of the pack lands. We thought her parents must have been killed or captured."

Her father snorted. "We should have known better. She was probably abandoned because she was weak. And we, in our misguided compassion, took her in."

Her mother’s voice grew colder. "I thought raising her alongside our own children would be the right thing to do. But she’s never fit in, never proven herself worthy of being part of our family. And now, with Drew rejecting her, she's only brought us more shame."

The realization was like a knife to Liana's heart. Her parents had never loved her; they had merely tolerated her. She was nothing more than a burden to them, a constant reminder of a decision they regretted. The knowledge was devastating, but it also brought a strange sense of clarity.

"Sometimes I wonder," her father mused, "if her real parents were part of the Golden Arc pack. Maybe she’s a traitor's child, and that’s why she’s so weak."

Her mother sighed heavily. "We should have left her there. She’s been a drain on our resources, and now she’s humiliated us all. Lily and Jason have to live with the shame of having her as a sister."

Liana's heart ached as she listened to her parents' cruel words. They saw her as nothing more than a mistake, a regretful act of kindness that had backfired. She had always sensed their disappointment, but hearing it voiced so plainly was unbearable.

Liana retreated to the attic, her mind racing. She couldn't stay here any longer. The people she had thought of as her family despised her. She had to find a way to escape, to start a new life where she could be free from their cruelty. But first, she needed to gather her strength and figure out a plan.

For the rest of the night, Liana lay on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling, her mind churning with thoughts of escape and survival. The pain of rejection was still there, but it was now accompanied by a new determination. She would find a way to break free from this life, to find a place where she could belong. No longer would she allow herself to be a victim of others' scorn and disdain.

Liana couldn’t leave her bed the next day. She pretended to be I'll, and her family didn't question her or care to check up on her. Her parents’ cruel words replayed in her mind, their disdain weighing heavily on her heart. The realization that she had never truly belonged in this family, in this pack, was too much to bear. With her fate sealed by Drew’s rejection and her family’s harshness, she knew there was only one option left: to leave and find her own place in the world.

That night, with quiet determination, she rose from her bed and began to pack. She moved silently, careful not to wake anyone. She grabbed a sturdy backpack and filled it with the essentials: a few changes of clothes, a blanket, some food that would last her a few days, and a water bottle. She added a small knife for protection and a map she had taken from the attic, showing the territories of the neighboring packs and the paths that led to human towns.

Her heart ached as she took one last look around the attic. This had been her refuge, her sanctuary from a world that had never accepted her. But now, it was time to leave it all behind. She had no choice but to seek a new life, one where she might finally find a place to belong.

Liana slipped out of the house and into the cool night. The moonlight guided her steps as she made her way through the woods that bordered the pack’s territory. The trees whispered in the breeze, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, but she pressed on, driven by a determination that burned brighter than her fear.

As she crossed the border of the pack's territory, a surge of fear gripped her. She knew that leaving without permission marked her as a rogue, a traitor in the eyes of the pack. They could hunt her down, punish her for her defiance. But then she remembered something that gave her a glimmer of hope: her birthday. Nobody had realized that she had turned eighteen recently. Without the traditional initiation ceremony, she was technically not yet a full member of the pack. This loophole meant they might not hunt her as a traitor.

With this fragile hope in her heart, she pressed on, her steps quickening as she put more distance between herself and the pack. The woods were dark and unfamiliar, the sounds of the night amplified in the silence. She kept moving, her senses on high alert for any signs of danger.

The journey was grueling, each step taking her farther from the only home she had ever known. Her heart ached with sorrow, the pain of rejection and the weight of her family’s disdain pressing down on her. She was alone, truly alone for the first time in her life. But this solitude also brought a strange sense of freedom. She was no longer bound by the expectations and judgments of others. She could carve her own path, find her own destiny.

As she made her way through the dense forest, Liana’s thoughts turned to the future. She had two options: to find another pack that would accept her or to live among the mortals. Both paths were fraught with challenges and dangers, but she was determined to find a

place where she could belong, where she could prove her worth.