CHLOE POV
I let the tears fall as I pack what I can fit in my one tiny suitcase. The dull memory of my pain is still pulsing within my mind, but my tears have nothing to do with Logan or even Luna Kandace.
I am honesty sad to leave the pack I was destined to lead. I truly believe I would have done a great job repairing some of the relationships Luna Kandace has destroyed. I could have made our people closer, but Luna Kandace, along with her weak-willed son, ruined that future.
I slam shut the suitcase and sit on it to be able to close the latches as a knock sounds on my door.
"Come in," I grunt out between wiping my face and working with the latch.
I don't look up as my door opens. I don't really want to. I know the goodbyes are coming from my closest friends and loved ones, but I am dreading them. I have had enough pain to last me a lifetime after my rejection, and I know these goodbyes will hurt.
"Honey...stop, let me help you," Mrs. Marsh says as her hands join mine, working the latch.
I look up the find my medium-size room filled with people. All the omegas and a few friends from school have come to see me off.
"I'm sorry," Shannon whispers as she gently tugs me off my suitcase.
Her and Melanie wrap their arms around me as soon as I am standing.
"It's his loss," one of the males says, and I attempt to smile.
I try to pull on my happy face just one more time, so they all know I haven't been broken, but my lips waver.
"Oh sweetheart, it's okay to show sadness. You are so strong all the time; it's okay to break down every once in a while," Lydia says from just over Melanie's shoulder, and I sniffle before breaking down again, completely for all of them to see.
"I can't believe I am supposed to be your new Luna, and because of them, I don't get to be," I sob, sounding like a five-year-old pup.
"You will always be my Luna. No matter who that dumbass chooses to mate," Chance says, and I see Trevor nod.
I wipe my eyes, but my crying doesn't halt. Shannon and Melanie pull away to look at me, and Chris offers me a handkerchief.
"Thanks," I mumble, and he gives me a sad smile.
"I'm so happy the truth about your mother is finally out there," Melanie says, and the rest of the group nods.
Momma Marsh puts her arm over my shoulders and kisses the side of my head.
"Your momma was the bravest and sweetest woman I have ever met, honey. And I am 100% certain you made her beyond proud tonight," Momma Marsh says, and the group mumbles out their agreements.
"Thanks, Momma Marsh...I just think I want to get out of here. When I shift at midnight, I want to be far away from here. I want to be able to talk to my wolf and get to know her without worry," I whisper, and the group nods.
They take turns giving me silent but meaningful hugs and squeezes before one by one, leaving me to finish packing.
When my door finally closes, I sigh. I grab my mom's picture and tuck it into my back pocket. I look at myself in the mirror and think about how different I look than I did this morning. I look tired and sad, not happy and hopeful. And I no longer give myself a ten out of ten. Thank you, Logan.
I grab a couple of hair ties and put them around my wrist. My hair is already up, but I will need the extras when I get to Outcast. I do a once over one more time before opening my door and freezing midstep.
"Hi," Logan says quickly, looking desperately between my eyes.
"Bye," I reply, trying to move around him.
"Please wait...The rejection had nothing to do with you, okay. You are gorgeous. My childhood fucking crush, to be perfectly honest...It's just your human body is groomed for being an Omega. Even though mom betrayed my trust, she had that part right. I value my mom's counsel. She has always been closer to me than my dad...I. Look, I get it. The truth hurts. Knowing my mom ran," Logan says, and I hold up my hand to stop him.
He goes quiet, and I look him in the eyes.
"Your mother's body trained as a warrior before she got her wolf...tell me why she didnt stand with my mom...You see, Logan, sometimes it's about character, not training. I was born to be your Luna and mate. The wolf that I will receive tonight...alone, instead of in your company, is one with the wolf you will receive. You will have to explain to him why you rejected his mate's human body, and I hope you have a better excuse than that because all throughout history, Omegas have made great Lunas," I declare, and his eyes widen.
"Maybe if you had read up on your history instead of focusing on your muscles, war, and girls, we wouldn't be having this conversation," I whisper before walking past him as if he doesn't exist.
"Chloe, I'm sorry," Logan calls as I round the corner heading for the back exit to the packhouse.
I almost stop and go back to him, but we have nothing left to say to each other. I am on my way to Outcast to live permanently, and he will be taking bi-annual hunting trips to Outcast to find my replacement. That is the future he has chosen for us, and it was a decision based solely on his mother's counsel. Great.
LOGAN POV (DAY BEFORE BIRTHDAY)
Her perfume is in the bathroom again, and I love it. I wish I already had my heightened sense of smell. That way, I could follow her scent more closely, and my mother wouldn't ever know.
"Damn Chloe. Why do you have to be everywhere," I whisper before drying my hands and heading towards the gym?
I skip breakfast since I already heard mom and dad going at it like screech owls. I really wish he would just realize she acts out to get his attention. It would make living under the same roof as them so much easier.
I constantly have to play soundboard for my mother because her mate sucks. He never shows any interest in her or me, for that matter, and it gets to her. She says after they had me, he barely even kissed her. Which I can be witness to that because he never shows either of us affection. He is nice to our people, and for all purposes, a great Alpha, but as a mate and father...the man is lacking.
"Hey, man. Why the gloom and doom. You turn eighteen tomorrow," Gavin, my Beta, says as I enter the gym, probably looking annoyed.
"Ah man, you know. The old man and my mom are just going at it. The usual," I answer honestly, and he rolls his eyes.
"Focus on something else...like the fact you might be locked down to just one pussy tomorrow," Gavin says, and I force my eyes not to roll.
I'm the one who made this fake image for myself two years ago, trying to be cool. It's not his fault I am starting to regret it.
I honestly didn't plan my whole image out when I decided to start acting this way. I didn't think about the repercussions like fake friends and superficial girls sticking to me like gorilla duct tape.
I had just thought it would be nice to be the cool guy. To get a shit ton of attention at school since I get zero from my dad. So when I went to Alpha training, I tested my new image...it worked, and I came back still in character.
Girls loved it, and guys envied me. Win-win, or so I thought."Yeah. I'm kinda tired of the communal pools, though, if you know what I mean," I say, and he nods.
"I get that, man. These girls just aren't cutting it. I can't wait to turn eighteen. Hopefully, my girl isn't someone you've been with," Gavin says, and I snort.
Little does he know I haven't slept with any of the girls I've "dated." I say that I do, and the school believes me. The girls like the popularity and go along with the lie, and I stay clean.
"Anyways, are we gonna talk, or am I gonna kick your ass," I ask, giving him my most cocky grin?
"I'm not the one avoiding the mat," Gavin says, starting to bounce back and forth on the balls of his feet.
I immediately lunge, and he dodges, anticipating my attack just in time.
For the next thirty minutes, Gavin and I exhaust our muscles pinning and wrestling each other over and over again. When he finally submits for the tenth time and declares defeat, my body hits the mat instantly.
"Shit, you've gotten better," I manage to say, and he laughs.
"Still can't win, though," he replies, and I shrug before propping myself up.
"You aren't supposed to. I'm the Alpha, remember," I reply as my eyes land on my mother leaning against the gym's padded wall.
She gestures for me to follow her, and I nod.
"Looks like I'm done for the day, bro. See ya later," I say, standing to my feet and grabbing a room temperature water bottle we keep on the shelf.
Time to play listening ear.
PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS IT HELPS MY STORIES!!! I NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN IMPROVE OR WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT. THANK YOULOGAN POV"You should focus more while training and do less talking," Mom snaps as she tosses me a small towel to wipe my face with."Mom...I can train and bond with my Beta at the same time. He is my second. The guy I need to be able to trust completely," I explain, sounding just as annoyed as she did.She rolls her eyes and plops down in my office chair that she has unofficially claimed as her own, which gets to me sometimes considering how vital this small space is to me.When I came back from Alpha training, my dad had this office set up for me over the gym. He said it would be a great starting point for me and would help teach me how to organize an office. I had been in shock at how happy he seemed to give it to me. He rarely smiles and talks about me being the future Alpha. It's was also one of the few times he ever hugged me. Now my mom uses it to hold all our priva
LOGAN POV "Hi," I say quickly looking over Chloe's depressed state. She put her hair up and changed into her comfy day off clothes that hide away her beautiful curves. But the thing that sticks out the most is the blatant hate in her eyes. As if I am her enemy and not her mate."Bye," she snaps while trying to move around me."Please wait...The rejection had nothing to do with you, okay. You are gorgeous. My childhood fucking crush, to be perfectly honest...It's just your human body is groomed for being an Omega. Even though mom betrayed my trust, she had that part right. I value my mom's counsel. She has always been closer to me than my dad...I. Look, I get it. The truth hurts. Knowing my mom ran," I explain before she raises her hand. She stares at me like I am the biggest dumbass in the whole world and the re
CHLOE POV I sniffle as my tears fall down my face. I look up at the sky to try and pinpoint what time it is because my phone died hours ago, but clouds block my line of sight. I wish I could ride the train to Outcast, but I can't. Since I shift tonight for the first time, I can't be on the train with others. Only after I shift can I ride the train. Which means tomorrow I can hitch a ride. But by then, I will probably be in the next pack over. Which that's okay as long as I don't leave the train station. I wipe my cheeks for the thousandth time and sign. "This is as good a spot as any," I mutter as I decide to stop for the night. I move away from the train tracks I have been following for miles and sit down against a big tree. I take a deep breath and lean my head back. I need to relax before my s
CHLOE POVChloe- I think I got the hang of this.I proudly say as I run through the same stretch of trees I've been practicing in since falling on my face.Wolf- I think so too...it's getting late, Chloe. Find a pondChloe- And how should I just find a pond? You forget I'm new to all this.Wolf- getting cheeky, are weI smile in my mind at our easy banter. I think I like my wolf. She is funny but at the same time mature. She isn't childish with her humor, which is something I can definitely appreciate.Wolf- okay, well, close our eyes and try to close our ears. Focus your attention on our nose and breathe in. Learn the scents around us. Sniff the grass and the trees. Smell the soil. Log away the smells and keep moving until you smell water....then head in its direction. The water will smell like rain. You know what rain sm
CHLOE POV "The train to Outcast arrives at 9 AM," the wolf behind the glass says as she gives me a small, understanding smile. Her eyes sweep over my appearance discreetly, and I realize I must look like every other rejected wolf that passes through this station. I definitely smell like a depressed mess. "Thank you, is there a place I can clean up," I ask quietly, and she nods. "The bathrooms each have a shower. The door is locked for safety reasons, but let me get the key for you," she explains before slowly standing up. As she stands, her protruding stomach becomes visible, and I smile at the apparent pregnancy belly. "Congratulations," I say as she opens a draw a few feet behind her desk. "Thank you. This will be my third. I am almost done; six more wee
LOGAN POVLogan- Dad.I link out for the first time, and his eyes meet mine. Since he isn't in wolf form, he can't respond back, but he can hear me, and that's all I need.Logan- I'm sorry. I'm sorry for it all. I was trying to be extra cool and act stronger than what I am. Mom said strong Alphas act tough and don't show compassion for weak members...I can't believe I listened to her, dad. I don't know why I chose fake popularity over actually studying to be a great Alpha. I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you. I didn't like who I was...I enjoyed the attention from all the girls, but I felt stupid. I promise to do better. I will train and read every book you placed in my office. I will find the perfect balance between physical and mental strength...and I will never undervalue a single member of my pack again. Mr. Malone was right, and omegas are strong. You are one of the best Alphas in history, dad. I will
CHLOE POV Haven goes silent as our eyes take in Outcast for the first time. My gasp gets caught in my throat as my mind explodes. I have never seen anything more beautiful or more terrifying in my entire life. The design of the train tracks gives us an almost aerial view of the massive city positioned in between a few mountains, and it's scary how different it looks from home.The buildings within the city's center are taller than anything I could ever imagine a wolf building. Wolves love the Earth. We don't enjoy heights, but the wolves who built this place ignored that basic instinct. They built buildings so high they merged with the sky. "Wow," I whisper, and the sweet couple chuckle at me. "We both said the same thing when we arrived. It's unlike any other place in the world," the male wolf says, and I nod while not taking
LOGAN POV "Logan, it's been a week. Stop moping, man. You are pushing away all the babes," Gavin whines for the thousandth time, and I snarl. He jumps back as I slam the book I've been trying to read down on the lunch table. "I don't care about any female other than my mate, Gavin. If you haven't noticed, I am currently studying. If you were smart, you would be following my lead," I snap, and his cheeks tint as our other friends snicker at him. "What crawled up your butt and died, Logan," he snaps in a low voice that makes Lazarus growls. "I grew up! I realized pretending to care about my popularity was stupid. I realized lying to YOU, and everyone else about sleeping around was wrong. I learned that I want to be an Alpha that leads his people to prosperity. I will not be my mother's puppet