Rejected Alpha

Chapter Twenty Seven

“So, are we going to get a tour of the pack?’ Hope asked as we made our way to the training grounds. I looked over to her almost disbelievingly. She was literally about to whip Emily ten times and she was acting like it was of no consequence. Even I would be nervous and even reluctant about it. Hell, I would even possibly back out. Give her mercy. I mean seriously it wasn’t that bad. Yeah, she needed to be punished, but ten lashes?

Guilt settled into the pit of my stomach. This was my fault. I was still so angry at Emily for trying to claim Hector, still furious for her touching him. I has already punished her more than once for her transgressions, I never should have pointed out the rules for attacking an omega. But I needed to protect Hope too. I needed to claim my position as luna. But this was barbaric. Could I protest Hector’s rules in front of the whole pack? Try and change them after so long?

I peeked over at him through my lashes. His face was drawn into harsh angry lines. His hands were clenched in tight fists, his teeth grinding together in what had to be a painful manner. His muscles were coiled so tightly they looked to be made of stone. It looked as if he really didn’t want to do this. But by this point he really couldn’t back down. He had already offered the punishment and given permission in front of some of the higher-ranking pack members.

“Hope, give me a minute, will you?” I questioned, gently placing my hand on her shoulder, making her furrow her brows at me. I just looked over to Hector in response. Her mouth formed a large ‘O’ in response before she giggled, nodded and skipped over to Patrick’s side. I smiled at her enthusiasm. I was so happy for them. Both of them seemed so happy that they were mates. The way Pat put his arms around her shoulders lovingly. The way he leaned over and kissed the crown of her head with such tenderness. The way she snuggled into him giggling like a love sick school girl. It made my heart swell with happiness.

My eyes moved from them over to Max. He was looking over to them longingly. My heart dropped instantly. The depression in his eyes was so clear in his green eyes it was heartbreaking. He wanted a mate so badly. He wanted love. I hoped his mate was in Hector’s pack somewhere. Maybe we could have a party of some kind. Give Max a chance to meet all of the females who didn’t have mates. I mean I still wasn’t apart of the pack yet, and I needed to be. It would be a wonderful opportunity for both of us. If Hector would go for it. Or he just wouldn’t have to know. An induction ceremony included the whole pack anyway. There was no need for Hector to know we would be trying to find Max’s mate as well. Hell, Max didn’t even have to know. I smiled to myself. It was perfect.

I made my way over to a tense Hector and gently pulled him to a stop. The others stopped with us looking over to us questioningly. “Michael. Go ahead and take them to the training grounds to wait for us please.” Michael immediately looked to Hector making me huff in annoyance. I kept quiet though and waited for Hector to answer though.

“Can this wait Ria?” Hector asked, his voice strained. I gawked up at him, my eyes wide as I stared into his. He didn’t exactly look angry. He looked bitter.

“You can’t be serious?” I uttered uncertainly, dropping my hand from his arm and taking a step away from him. I looked from him to Michael to Hope and the others. All of them were staring at us like they didn’t know what to do or say. To be quite frank, I didn’t either. Hector was so hot and cold. There really was no in between for him. He was trying, I’d give him that much. But I was wondering if it was enough. I had agreed to give him a chance. To give us a chance. But now? The way he was looking at me with such bitterness in his eyes. How could we have a relationship when he couldn’t even look at me without contempt? How could we build a relationship on rocky ground?

“We can’t.” Ruby, whined lowly as she curled up into a ball in the back of my mind. I hated that this was causing her pain. Ruby was an amazing wolf. She had so much hope for Hector. She was on his side through so much of this. But he had slowly lost her faith in him. I couldn’t blame her. How could we love a man who could show us such hatred and bitterness so openly?

“Yes.” I stood to my full height and squared my shoulders. I made sure to lock everything behind steel doors so he couldn’t see. “It can wait.” I smiled up at him making sure to make it as genuine as possible before making my way to Hope and the others. Max arched a brow at me but I pursed my lips and shook my head. He didn’t need to know right now. No one did. My plan was still no fully formed in my own mind. Once it was though they would know.

When we got to the training grounds Hector grabbed Emily by her bicep and drug her to the center of the field. Once he was far enough away, I leaned over to Hope. “Don’t do it.” I whispered to her. Keeping my eyes on Hector.

“What?” Hope balked, looking over to me wide eyed.

“Look at Hector Hope.” I spoke. His azure eyes were as hard and as cold as ice. I didn’t think the flames of hell could melt them.

Hope shuddered beside me as she leaned into Patrick. “He looks like he wants to murder someone.” She shuddered, burrowing deeper into her mate.

“Sera, what’s going on?” Pat asked, holding onto Hope tightly.

“Just don’t allow her to over there. Hope tell him you’ve changed your mind. Tell him you don’t feel comfortable punishing someone who isn’t a member of your pack.”

“You think that will work?” She murmured.

“Yes.” I nodded, just as Hector’s eyes found mine.

“Omega Hope.” His voice resounded around us, vibrating the air. “Come an enact your punishment.”

“I…I changed my. Mi.. Mind.” Hope stammered. She cleared her throat, her eyes darting to mine before she stood straighter. “It isn’t right to punish a member of another pack.” She said, her voice stronger but still meek. “I am not apart of your pack. I shouldn’t be the one to punish her.”

Hector’s face hardened anger flashed in his eyes. I quickly stepped in front of Hope and faced Hector down. His eyes narrowed on me, his hands clenching into fists. As much as he wanted to say his past with me and my family didn’t bother him, it did. It was clear in his eyes. In they way he was looking at me right now. And this situation wasn’t helping. He was blaming me for this too. Because these were my friends. And his pack was being impacted. Again, he was being impacted by me. He would never get over this.

But I have come to a realization. All of our choices always impact others. Not just ourselves. He made the decision to allow them in. It was as much his fault as it was mine. He allowed me to stay here. Again, his fault and mine. So, he could cast blame on me all he wanted, but it wasn’t just my fault. Just as in the past. It wasn’t my fault at all. It was his father’s decision to do what he did. Not mine, not my fathers. Hector wanted someone to blame. And I just so happened to be the closet person that wasn’t himself.

“Ria, move.” Hector bit out.

“No Hector. Hope is being respectful to you, your pack and Emily by not punishing her. You should be grateful, not hateful.” I retorted barely able to keep the anger from my voice.

My words however had the desired effect. Hector paused. He looked to Hope with new eyes. Some of the ice seemed to melt from his eyes, but the hardness remained. I don’t think anyone would see the difference I him, but I did. He now had a new found respect for Hope, and I was glad for it. An alpha having respect for an omega was unheard of.

“You are right Ria.” His eyes turned to me. But when I looked into them there was a heaviness there, a darkness. “Hope is showing a great amount of respect to me and my pack and for that I am grateful.” He looked over to Hope and inclined his head to her. “However.” His eyes again reached me. For a split second I saw the pain there before the steel covered it once again. “She still needs to be punished.”

My jaw dropped and I stepped forward. “By whom?’ I asked, utterly stunned he is allowing this to go so far.

“By me.” My eyes widened. I looked over to Emily who was being held by two male wolves. She was thrashing like a wild cat; tears were streaming down her face. When Hector was handed a whip though, she started screaming. Begging Hector to change his mind, and for him to have mercy on her.

“Hector please. You can’t possibly mean this.” I rushed over to him and gripped his wrist.

“And why would I not?” He asked, looking me dead in the eye. No emotion what so ever.

“You are going to tear her to shreds.” I tried to reason. “Think about this.” I pleaded. Nothing. He looked at me as if I was nothing more than a hinderance to some kind of master plan. What was wrong with him? What happened between the house and here?

“She needs to be punished.” Hector shrugged turning from me, pulling his wrist from my grasp in the process.

“Maybe.” I growled, firmly grasping his shoulder and turning him back to me. “But punishing her and killing her are two different things. You are going to kill her if you whip her ten times.” His azure eyes blazed in anger. “Remember what I told you.” I lowered my voice. “You’re not a monster Hector. You only allow yourself to be because that is what others expect of you.”

“And I told you that you were wrong.”

“What the hell Hector?” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. “Was everything we just talked about for nothing? Was everything you said, everything we agreed to nothing but words to you?” I demanded, anger starting to heat my blood.

“I am an alpha Ria.” Hector purred huskily. “I demand submissiveness.”

I growled. “You want submissive? You want subservient?” I hissed. “I’ll show you both. Let me see the whip a minute.” I held my hand out to him expectantly. He didn’t seem to see anything off. He smiled victoriously as he handed the whip over to me. “Max.” I called looking over to him. “Can you come get this filthy thing please?” I asked, holding the vile braided leather thing out to him. Max waisted no time in taking the thing from me and rushing back over to Patrick and Hope. He knew me well enough to stay out of my way.

“I’m waiting.” Hector bit out, obviously becoming impatient.

“Hold on. I’ll show you.” I promised. I turned from him and made my way over to Emily and the others. “Let her go.” I commanded, allowing my eyes to flash showing how close Ruby was to taking over. They stumbled back quickly, their hands falling from Emily.

“What are you doing?” She sniffled.

“Giving you and him what you both want.” I hissed.

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head.

“You will.” I gripped her forearm tightly and drug her towards Hector. He seemed confused, his brow furrowing. “There.” I pushed Emily as gently as I could down at his feet. “There is your submissive and subservient mate. But that is not and never will be me. I agreed to give us a chance Hector. I agreed to try and forgive you. And not even an hour later you pull something like this.” I shook my head sadly. Pain radiated throughout my entire being, my heart felt like it was withering. “The goddess made a mistake with me. I was never meant to have a mate. Not a destined mate or otherwise. I wish you a happy life Hector.” With those last words to him, I turned away and made my way to the pack house to once again pack my things and leave.

“Sera, are you sure about this?” Max ran and caught up to me. He gripped my hand to drag me to a stop, but I easily pulled my hand from his and kept walking. I didn’t want to talk. I couldn’t talk. I knew that once I stopped, once a single syllable fell from my lips I would utterly break. There would be nothing left. And if that happened, I didn’t know where I would go from there. No. I had to get myself together first. I couldn’t let this break me. I couldn’t let it tear me down. Not any more than it already has. I had already thought about killing myself over him. I can’t let that happen again. No, my life was worth more than what a few people felt about me.

“Seraphina, Wait.” Hector’s voice calling out to me made my blood freeze. No. he needed to leave me alone. For once he just needed to stop. Stop chasing me, stop apologizing. There comes a point where apologies just didn’t cut it anymore, and this was that point. There was just no way I could deal with all of it from him. “Ria, please!” He begged. His voice closer this time. Dual growls, came from behind me. A deeper, more furious growl, followed by a high pitched eeepp sound. I stopped, sighing heavily.

“Would all of you just stop.” I murmured lowly, my eyes on my feet. “I am tired of all the fighting and arguing.” I lifted my eyes to Hector’s. “I am tired of the hot and cold, of the not being able to decide how you feel. I am tired of running, of hiding. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t.” I blew air into my cheeks, opened my mouth to say something but decided against it. I just shook my head and turned away from them and continued walking.

“Ria, what’s going on?” Hector sounded worried.

“Don’t worry about me Hector.” I said, my voice hallow. “You should go worry about your “submissive” mate.” I sneered, never turning to look at him. I didn’t have to turn to him though. The growl that vibrated the air around me was plenty enough to tell me how angry I had just made him. “Do not touch me Hector.” I warned him, whirling on him just as he was about to advance on me.

“You don’t mean that.” Hector said firmly.

“Like you didn’t mean what you said?” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Dude, don’t ruin it.” Max tried to warn him, his tone pleading. “Sera is an amazing female. But if you let her go again….” He let his sentence run off, open for interpretation.

“Ria, we are meant to lead the pack together.” Hector tried to reason.

“That’s right Hector. Together. Not one beneath the other, but side by side. What happened to you between now and an hour ago? What changed?” I demanded, approaching him until we were toe to toe.

“You did.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your friends.” Hector growled. “Again, you and your people caused…” A SMACK echoed around us, cutting off his words. Hector’s head had whipped to the side with the force of my slap. I had slapped the ever-loving s**t out of him to shut him up.

“Don’t you dare blame me or my friends.” I growled menacingly. “You agreed to it. You could have said no. You could have sent them away. You are an alpha; you know how a delta is about their luna. You knew how Max would react when he didn’t see me when he got into the pack house. You’re lucky your delta hasn’t sensed it yet. I will not be blamed for a decision you so clearly made as well. And you sure as hell will not blame the people who came here to warn YOU of the danger that’s on the way.” I shook my head and stepped away from Hector. “You’ve changed since you found out who I was Hector.” I whispered, a few tears slipping down my cheek. “And I don’t like it. I don’t like who you’ve become. I don’t want to reject you, but you aren’t leaving me another choice.” A sob caught in my throat and my chest constricted painfully.

“No.” Hector’s eyes widened.

“Sera, there will be no going back after this. Think about it.” Hope pleaded. So many people were fighting for Hector, so many voices were arguing around me I didn’t know what to do, I just wanted to get away. So I shifted and I ran.