Rejected Alpha

Chapter Twenty-Five

Keeping my phone clutched tightly in my hand I I slipped out of my room and into the hall. It was late and I needed to talk to Hector. I just wasn’t sure if I should wake him up or not. It seemed like important information to know. But was it important enough for me to go into his room and wake him up about? I mean you would think werewolf and dragon search parties, no matter the size would be a need to know, Right? Especially a dragon one. Dragons were big, fire breathing lizards. They could destroy this pack if they weren’t prepared. Well, I guess that settles it.

“Hector?” His name came out as a question as I knocked on his door.

“I’m awake. Come in Ria.” He called, his voice kind of groggy. I think I woke him. A smile crept up on my lips as I opened the door and slipped inside before closing the door behind me. Hector never ceased to amaze me. He was sitting up in the bed, his chest bare. His long white hair flowed down either side of his shoulders covering parts of his sculpted chest. The alpha’s abs seemed to go on for days. I wanted nothing more than to run my hands along his broad shoulders, over his chest and across his abs. I shook my head. No. Down girl. So, not here for that.

“Hector, my uh. My delta from my old pack text me. He still protects me from there, He told me that everyone is searching for me. Elijah has sent wolves searching for me. Blaze has sent his own wolves. My father has. So has Alexander. Alexander is a dragon, Hector. Dragons are looking for me. And.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I guess I should tell you my birth pack. But also tell you I was just born there. I have never actually seen it, or even been there since I was born.”

Hector seemed wide awake now. All of his attention was on me. He even looked a bit reluctant. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me and I wish that I could change it. But I couldn’t. I don’t know what he would do once he knew who I was, and I was truly terrified to find out. I knew that apparently my family was once royalty. Not anymore, thank God. I wanted no part in any of that crap. One pack was more than enough for me thank you very much.

“My father’s name is Darius Coleman; he was once the alpha of the Death Valley Pack. When I was born, he fled with my mother and me. I plan to take the pack back and reclaim my birthright.”

“You? You’re the lost heir?” Hector questioned, fire blazing in his eyes.

“The lost what? I don’t know what you’re talking about Hector.” I said standing and quickly backing away from him. I wasn’t sure why but that look in his eye didn’t seem quite right. Something was off.

“Do you know why your father fled when you were born?” Hector asked, standing from his bed and pulling himself up to his full height. My body stiffened instantly, my senses in high alert.

“No. I was an infant. I told you. I didn’t even know I was a werewolf until recently. How was I supposed to know anything about anything? Everyone keeps refusing to tell me anything. People keep, keeping secrets from me.” I all but shout at him. I am so sick of people’s attitude towards me. They act like I should already know everything. Like the knowledge of the supernatural world should have automatically been downloaded into my mind when I was told what I was. It was ridiculous.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Hector seemed to deflate, though the fire still raged in his eyes. I kept my distance from him. There was still something about him that changed when I told him about my father and my birth pack.

“Hector what’s going on?” I asked, taking another step back.

A frown formed on his lips as he caught my movement before he looked me in the eye again. “Your father ran because it was my pack that was after your family.”

My eyes widened into saucers, my feet stumbling as I made my way towards the door, my eyes never leaving his. I needed the distance between us. After today, and now this. How else was I supposed to react to this news? “Why?” I whispered. “Why was this pack after my family? After me?”

Hector sighed, his eyes leaving mine to look down at his hands. “I was five years old at the time of your birth. My father was a cruel man Ria, he had no mercy for anyone. Not his pack, his son or his mate. You’ve seen me like this, but you’ve never actually seen me. This, the way you see me now is an illusion. A spell I pay a witch to give me. It’s a potion I have to drink once a day.”

“What does that mean?”

“Let me finish and I’ll explain. Come. I won’t hurt you, Ria.” Unease coiled within me, but I did as he asked, slowly making my way towards him until I was sitting by his side. “As I was saying my father was a cruel man. He heard the king had, had a daughter. At first, he sent an envoy requesting an arranged marriage between me and the heir. But the king refused. He wanted his daughter to find her mate and he wanted the same for me. My father didn’t like the answer. With no one else to take his anger out on, he started with my mother. He beat her.” Hector’s hand moved to my knee where he squeezed. His eyes were closed tightly as he hung his head.

I covered his hand with mine, though I doubt it would do any good. “Once he beat her to the brink of death the healers took her and he started on me. I may have only been five but I was an alpha, and still stronger than my mother was. While he used his fists with her, he used silver on me.” I did my best to keep the gasp quiet, but I was unsuccessful. Hector looked up into what I am sure was my horror filled eyes. “He took his time, making sure to cause as much pain as he could without killing me. When he was done the healers took me, and he sent yet another envoy to the king.”

I couldn’t hold his gaze any longer. Tears filled my eyes because I could only guess how the rest of the story was going to go. I understood the fire in his eyes now. He blamed my family for his and his mother’s pain, their torture. It made sense. It was my father who kept saying no. And while he may not have known what was happening, Hector was five and didn’t understand. All he knew was he was being tortured because another alpha was saying no to his father. How could someone be so heartless? And to their own son?

“I’m sorry you went through that Hector.” I whispered, shaking my head.

“I blamed you and your family for many years. I searched for you endlessly when I was old enough. When nothing became of my search, I figured you all had died.” His voice seemed oddly cold.

“Believe it or not I understand your hatred of my family. In many ways my father was the cause behind your suffering. Makes me wonder where we would be had he said yes. Where I’d be, who I’d be.” I chuckled humorlessly. “Who you’d be.” I looked from my hands up to him. The fire was roaring within them.

“You don’t just blame my family do you? You blame me. Even though I was but a few hours, maybe a few days old, you blame me. You blame me for being born.” The answer was evident in his eyes. The way they seemed to ice over, grow cold.

“If you hadn’t been born Ria, none of it would have happened.”

“Yeah, because I had a choice.” A sob caught in my throat as I spoke. Why did it feel like he was tearing into me with a silver blade? Why did this hurt so much? And why did this keep happening to me? Was I so unlovable? So unwanted? What was so wrong with me that everyone was so willing to just reject me so easily?

“I’m sorry Ria.”

“No.” Tears were freely falling now. “You have no right to call me that anymore. And you’re not sorry. I honestly thought This pack could be the one place I could finally call home until I took my birthright back. I thought that there was something between us..” I shook my head and stood, Hectors hand falling away from my knee. “Good luck with the scouts alpha. Tell them I was here or don’t. I don’t care anymore. I’m leaving.”

I left his room without another word and headed for my own room. I text Max what happened and where I was, and what I was doing. I told him I didn’t know where I was going but I’d let him know when I got there. Packed a few things, just a couple of out fits and grabbed my wallet. I had a new bank account set up with a fake identity that even Hector didn’t know about. It had all my money it, I wouldn’t need anything else.

Tears blurred my vision as I looked around the room. I didn’t want to leave. I had imagined staying here so much longer. Imagined being with Hector longer. But what he just said, I don’t even know how to handle that. How to respond other than leaving. What else am I to do? Stay and say thank you? No, I think not. I refuse to stay somewhere and with someone who blames my birth for their suffering. Like I had a choice in being born. I had nothing to do with what happened to Hector.

Pain lacerated my heart as his name raced through my mind. Another man I had grown to care for. Another man who had made his mark on my heart. Another man who had broken it. What was so wrong with me that people kept hurting me? What exactly did I do wrong? Was being born really all I did wrong? Would my death set everything right once again? Was that what it would take? It seemed the only logical resolution to all of this. As the room blurred further, I made my way to the door.

“Seraphina.” Hector was on the other side of the door waiting for me.

“I’m leaving.” My voice was flat, cold, empty.

“That’s not what I want.”

“That’s exactly what you want. No. I’m wrong. What you want, is my death. If my birth is what caused all of this my death is what will set it right. So move.”

I pushed past Hector, dropping my bag to the floor and shifting in the hall. I ran through the hall, snarling at anyone who dare to get in my way. Emotions were a fickle thing when you’ve been hurt as much as I have. And I have had enough, Ruby has too. If it was my birth that started it, my death will end it.

A howl vibrated the halls of the house making me turn and see Hector’s wolf on our heels. That pissed me off. He had no right what so ever to try and get in our way, this was his fault after all. His words, his accusations. I was fixing what my family had done to wrong his. He should be grateful. The bastard. I pushed harder, jumping through the downstairs window shattering the glass and taking off through the trees. I may not know this land, but Ruby could smell the landscape, she knew where to go and what to do. So I gave control over to her. But first I needed to reject Alexander. It was a good thing I didn’t have to do this face to face. That would really freaking suck if I did. I didn’t want to face that dragon ever again.

“I Seraphina Coleman, reject Alexander, leader of the fire mountain dragon clan as my second chance mate.” As soon as I said the words, even mentally, it felt as if a small weight has been lifted off of me. No pain, just relief. Again, nothing like what I’d been told. I really hope Alexander wasn’t holding out hope for us because I hadn’t rejected him yet. The truth was, I was just too much of a coward to reject him before now. Another howl from behind me told me Hector was getting closer.

“He’s catching up.” I told Ruby.

“Ares is frantic.” Ruby said sadly. “He said Hector didn’t mean what he said.”

“Hector meant exactly what he said.” All emotion once again draining from my voice. “There is no way he can sit there and fake that kind deep rooted emotion.”

“I know.” Ruby sighed sadly.

I wish I was wrong. But Hector was right everyone’s problems started the day I was born. His, his mothers, my parents. My birth packs. Everything and everyone was fine. Until me. How one birth could change so many lives for the worst was beyond me. And beyond that, I was tired of being hurt, of being rejected, of people trying to kill me. I was tired of running, of fighting, of trying to prove myself. I was seventeen, I shouldn’t have to do all of this, not yet.

“We’re here.”

Ruby’s solemn words pulled me from my thoughts to the scene before us. I shifted back to my human form and pulled a long robe from my bag and wrapped it around me. We stood on a cliff face; angry waves crashed against the wall of the cliff below. The stars shimmered in the night sky above showcasing a large and bight full moon. It was all so heartbreakingly beautiful. Why did it all have to be so beautiful?

“Ria, what are you doing?” Hector’s voice came from behind me, his scent of caramel and coffee crashed over me like thousand-pound boulder.

“So that’s why I was so drawn to you.” I murmured, never turning to face him.

“What are you talking ab…” His words cut off with a sharp gasp. “How?”

“I finally rejected Alexander on my way here.” I told him, still facing the water. “Funny how karma works isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” Hector’s voice was almost pleading now.

“You blamed my birth for your pain, I am giving you my death to free you from it. That is why I am here.”

“Seraphina, please. This isn’t what I meant by what I said. This isn’t what I want.” Hector said, fear in his voice as he spoke. “You wanted to know of the witch, of the potion. Come here, away from the cliff and I’ll tell you. Please.”

“By what you said I can put two and two together Hector. You take the potion to hide your scars. Many I’m sure there are.” I was surprised at how empty and hallow my voice still was, especially after the revelation I’d just uncovered.

“Ria, please don’t do this.” Hector begged. So, he was begging now? This was an interesting twist. I turned to him to see his eyes shining with unshed tears. The sight pulled at my heartstrings. I wanted to go to him and comfort him, protect him from what was hurting him. Except it was me that was causing him this pain. Me that was hurting him. And he deserved so much worse.

“Give me one reason Hector. One reason as to why I should not right this wrong.”

“What wrong Ria?” Hector questioned.

“My birth.”

“Your birth wasn’t wrong.”

“Oh really? My birth screwed up your life, your mothers, my mother and fathers. My own life. I was rejected by my first mate almost killed by him. Almost killed by my second chance mate. I rejected both of them because of it. And now come to find out. You, just so happen to be not my third mate, no. You are my destined mate. The one that even before I knew you were my mate I felt down to my very soul. From the moment I saw you I knew there was something about you, I just didn’t know what. I felt it, even before I rejected Alexander, I felt you. Felt the need to protect you, felt possessive. Felt drawn to you. I just didn’t understand why. But when you showed up here, and you scent hit me I knew. I knew the difference between how your scent hit me and how theirs did. Ruby knew the difference. The difference between a mate and a destined mate.” I shook my head laughing, before looking back over the horizon.

“A mate and a second chance mate are gifts from the goddess just as much as a destined mate is. But for a were wolf to find all three within a lifetime is near impossible.” Hector said nearly breathless.

“Ah, yes. The destined mate. The one true mate a werewolf is supposed to be with. The true other half of your soul. Then your mate, basically second best, just in case you don’t find your destined mate or your rejected. Then there is your second chance mate. A back up plan to the backup plan. Funny how all three of mine tried to kill me isn’t it.” I turned to Hector with an arched brow. “Seems not even a destined mate wants me.”

“That’s not true.” Hector bellowed, his tone taking on a deeper harder edge.

“You only say that because of what we just found out.” I challenged, rounding on him. “You would still be here blaming me for your past and your pain, had this bond not been here.” I shouted.

“I followed to apologize.” Hector yelled. “I told you, I’m not a good person. I warned you.”

“And I told you. You’re not as much of a monster as you think you are. You allow yourself to be a monster because its what people think you are. You let yourself be this way because its what people expect of you.” I shouted, storming over to him, now barely a foot away from him.

“What else am I supposed to do?” He roared.

“For the love of God Hector be yourself. Be who you are and not who people expect you to be.” I told him exasperated.

His eyes fall from mine to his feet and all fire drains from his eyes. “I don’t know who that is anymore.”

Oh, God help me. Something is seriously wrong with me. I’m losing my mind. I have screws loose. Yeah, that’s it. I’, going crazy. That’s the only explanation for the next words that come out of my mouth. “Then let’s find out together.”