Rejection

Harvey Martins is the father of two children, Ashton Martins, and Serenity Martins. His wife died years ago when there was a war between the demon people and the werewolf people. 

It is said that he single handedly stopped the war. The man is historic, and a very legend. He is respected by most but feared by all. He might be well advanced in years now, but he is still strong enough to kill a demon in its prime.

“Excuse me, everybody!” Someone says loudly at the same time that the music gets turned off. 

I sniffle as I break the hug with my sister and we all watch what is happening along with a crowd of other people. It’s one of Ashton’s friends, the one with blonde hair. He has a mic in his hand and Ashton is standing right by him. 

I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like I can feel Ashton’s emotions. He is very sad, and nervous. Maybe it's because I am his mate and there is some kind of connection between him and me.

Whatever it is, it doesn't matter anymore.

Zoe is right, Harvey Martins is a very strict and powerful man. When he makes a decision, it gets done no matter what. Ashton would do anything to stay in his father’s good graces, even if that means rejecting someone that he may want to be with.

I am no girl for him to take to his father, I’m a commoner. I’m broken and weak.

I am the complete opposite of him; he is super confident and has loads of friends, while I am shy, insecure and have only one friend.

“Today is this dude’s birthday!” He says loudly as he snakes one of his arms around Ashton. Everyone cheers loudly and Ashton smiles as he searches the crowd.

His eyes widen slightly when they land on me, and then he bows his head in shame.

“As much as I want him to get f*cked up tonight, he has to be sober enough to find a mate before midnight!” The blonde guy continues to speak, and more cheers erupt from everyone.

Gosh, when I look around, I realize that almost the whole town is here.

“And a little birdie has told me that he has!” The blonde guy says in a high-pitched voice, causing almost everyone to laugh. Well, almost everyone but me.

He hands the mic to Ashton and gives him an encouraging pat on the back. 

“Um…” Ashton chuckles nervously when he has the mic in his hand, and I hear a girl not too far from me say under her breath,” Gosh, he’s too cute for his own good.”

“After a night of being with my friends and the people that I love, I have finally found my mate,” He says confidently, and everyone begins to murmur.

Tessa and Zoe hold my hands as a way to comfort me, and I hold my breath, waiting for the words to fall from his lips.

“It’s a girl that I did not meet until tonight. She makes my heart race, and my mouth dry, even though we only talked for a few minutes,” Ashton explains, and I smile instinctively.

“But it’s not just about my heart, but also my head. I have learned of her weaknesses and I have no choice but to reject her,” He says firmly as he stares straight at me, and everyone gasps.

“It’s okay, go ahead,” Zoe says to me, and I let go of her and Tessa’s hands and walk towards Ashton. People start to realize that he is talking to me from his line of sight and they make way for me to pass.

“I, Ashton Martins, Alpha of the Blue River pack, reject you, Lara Zane as my mate and my future Luna,” He says when I am only a few feet away from him.

I make no attempt to get any closer because if I do, I would be tempted to slap him in the face and call him a coward.

“I, Lara Zane, accept your rejection, Ashton Martins, Alpha of the Blue River pack,” I use every ounce of confidence and strength in me to say the words to him without crying.

This is not what I dreamed this day would be like, I thought I would have a happy ending, but I guess that only happened in the romance novels I read.

I inhale sharply and turn away from him as I walk back to my sister and best friend. “You did great,” Both of them say as they hug me.

When I break the hug, I can feel a lot of people's eyes on me. 

“I was seen as the broken omega…now I would also be seen as the rejected omega,” I say as a few tears escape my eyes.

Ashton’s blonde friend takes the mic from him and ruffles his hair. “Come on, man, tonight is your birthday! No time for sad endings, so let’s give these people a happy one!” He says loudly, and the crowd cheers.

“Let’s get out of here,” Tessa advises and I agree. 

He is probably about to choose his new mate, and I don’t have to be here for it.

As Tessa, Zoe, and I try to ease our way out of the crowd, I hear Ashton’s voice. “ I would like Zoe Zane to be my mate.”

What the actual f*ck?

“Are you f*cking kidding me?” Zoe looks surprised but also very annoyed. “F*ck no!” She yells back, and I try to get her to calm down.

“He’s the Alpha, son of the werewolf that brought peace to our lands. You can not reject him, this is an opportunity to help our family to be seen with worth and respect,” I tell her, and she stares at me for a few seconds before finally giving in.

I give her a nod, letting her know I’m okay with her being Ashton’s mate even though I am not and my heart was just trashed to the ground.

“Congrats,” I try to sound excited, but it comes out sad.

She hugs me and begs us to leave before she accepts what Ashton just proposed to her.

Usually, Tessa never shuts up when we are in a car together, but tonight is different. She is driving in silence, not even the radio is on.

I feel like I have been run over by a school bus. I don’t know what I want to do; I feel like yelling until my throat hurts, and I also feel like crying until I have no more tears left. Maybe I would just do both when I reach home.

“Stop me here, I would like to walk home,” I inform Tessa when she makes a turn with the car.

“Lara…” She begs me.

“I said stop the car, Tess!” I say much louder this time, and she listens to me. A few tears fall from my eyes, and I sniffle as I wipe them away.

“My house is a few minutes from here, I would be fine…and thank you for being there for me tonight, I just need some time alone to think,” I explain to her, and I open the door and get down from the car.

She gives me a worried smile and then drives off. I watch the car move farther and farther away from me until I don’t see it anymore.

I begin to walk in the other direction, down a path that leads to the forest. I have a spot that I would always go to when I was feeling down. No one knows about it but Zoe because she found me there a few times when I was being bullied last year for not being able to shift.

It is under a huge oak tree, deep within the forest. I am not worried about getting lost, I know the place like the back of my hand.

When I reach the forest, I take in a deep breath and let it out before continuing to walk. It does not take me very long to reach the giant oak tree. It even has my initials that I carved into it the first time I ran here to get away from everyone and everything.

The almost full moon sits in the sky and gives the night an eerie feel.

I sit right under the tree with my back laid against the trunk. The ground is dirty but I gladly rest my legs on it. 

I can hear so many sounds, including the flowing of a stream that is not far from here. I hear frogs, owls, and some other noises that I can not identify.

If it was on any other day, I would have maybe been afraid to be here when it’s midnight, but the pain and heartbreak I feel have numbed all the fear in me.

It’s like I’m drowning in my emotions.

“And I told him that he was wrong, you don’t put pineapples on pizza,” I hear someone say, and my heart skips a beat.

“Sh*t,” I say under my breath as I get up quickly and hide behind the oak tree. In a few seconds, I begin to hear footsteps, and it does not sound like one person. Maybe two or three.

“You’re way too sensitive,” Another voice says, and the whole group laughs.

My eyes are wide, and I am breathing shallow and rapidly.

As the footsteps get closer to the oak tree, a strong smell of sulfur fills my nose and I instantly realize who those guys are, or rather what. 

They are demons!

Why are they this far into werewolf territory? This is an act of war, they know that they are not supposed to step foot in our land since the war.

“Wait, stop, do you smell that?” I hear one of them ask when the group has reached right by the oak tree that I am hiding behind.

Since I was little, I have been told stories of the war our people had with the demon people. They do not hesitate to spill blood, they are ruthless and evil beings that have been cursed from the moment they were brought into this world.

“I smell someone,” The same one says again, and his friends make fun of him.

“You’re probably smelling your breath,” Another voice says, and every one of them laughs except the one they’re making fun of.

This is one of the times I wished I could shift into my wolf, a loud howl would send these idiots running.

“There you are!” A strong hand grabs my arm, and I scream as I struggle to get free from the demon’s grasp.