Rejection

ASHLEY

Jason closed the gap between us, and I could see the fury slowly pushing its way into his darkened eyes. He touched the bracelet in his hand, yanking it off.

My heart dropped the moment it hit the ground.

“You can’t mean that…” I gasped as he tightened his hand around my wrist.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” He barked. “This is another manipulation of yours, and you know what, the goddess saved me today from your evil deeds.”

“It must be a misunderstanding, Jason, and I'll never use witchcraft on you. I am not even a witch and can't cast a single spell to save my life!”

“You fucking liar. I knew you'd react this way, but I am not stupid.”

“You're not stupid,” I assured him. Breathing in and out to calm my raging nerves, I touched his shoulder to calm him, but he flinched away from my touch.

His eyes met mine with disgust, and that almost killed me. Jason had never looked at me in such a manner, let alone harbour it.

“She indeed has bewitched you,” Maria sauntered towards us.

She was here. Was she also doing this?

“Not only that, she has connived with the dark witches in the east for her to become the Luna of this very pack house, promising to give them half the pack house if they succeeded in making her one.” Maria accused me.

“I'd never do such a thing!” I snapped, marching towards her. “You're the one who's lying here. You're the one who has stolen my identity and is trying to be me. Who the hell are you, and what do you want with me?”

Maria neared me and I moved to grip her hand out of anger, but hadn't done so when she suddenly doubled over, coughing up blood.

My eyes widened, and I jumped back in fright as I saw the crimson liquid. It didn't stop; more kept coming, and instantly she fell to her knees.

“Maria!” My father's voice broke through my thoughts, and I saw him running towards us, my mother following behind him.

Taking a swipe of the blood and sniffing, my father snarled. “Wolfsbane. She’s been poisoned. Who did this?”

“I didn't do anything,” I whispered, trembling as his gaze locked on mine. Not only him.

Everyone was now staring at me. Judging.

“I swear, I didn't do anything. I didn't even touch her!” My lips quivered, and I stared at my hands. I wouldn't willingly touch wolfsbane.

It was dangerous to all werewolves. So why would I touch one or try to harm someone with it?

“But you did, Miss Lockwood,” an Omega slave and one of the servers in the ceremony I hadn't seen before said.

She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks in a wild torrent. “Miss Lockwood told me to do it. I pleaded with her and told her the alpha wouldn't be too pleased, and I couldn't hurt a fly, but she threatened to have the beta send me into exile if I refused her. I swear I didn't want to do it. I wouldn't hurt her.”

I blinked once, then twice, pinching myself to ensure this wasn't a bad dream. When I felt the pain, I realised it was reality.

“She's lying. I had never spoken to her before. I am only seeing her for the first time. Besides, I have nothing against Maria, and why would I want her to die?”

“You,” my father growled. He jumped to his feet, fury radiating off him as he marched towards me.

I took a step backward, afraid. For the first time in my life, I was scared of my father and what he could do to me. I had only seen him this furious before, and it was towards others. Not to me.

“I say she should be exiled from this pack house immediately,” he pointed at me.

Exile? That was even worse than Jason accusing me of witchcraft. My breath came out in short gasps. I clenched my chest as my heart slammed against my ribs.

“Please…” Maria said. Her voice was weak, but it was still loud enough. My parents helped her up. “Ashley only acted out of jealousy, and somehow I can understand her. My return must have made her act impulsively. But please, don't exile her from the pack for this reason.”

Maria coughed, clutching her throat.

“How can you plead for her when she placed you in this state?” My father admonished.

She wasn't pleading with me. She was worsening the situation. I knew that for sure.

“Please,” I turned to Jason, hoping he'd defend me. “You have to believe me. I’m your mate-”

“Mate? How dare you say that again?” Jason looked at me, his gaze icy and distant. 

“I, Jason Blackriver, revoke every bond this witch has placed on me. Even if the goddess named you my mate, Ashley Lockwood, I'd still reject you!”

I came awake with a jolt, my breath heavy as my heart pounded. The room was dark, and the only source of light was through a high window, and you could only tell if it was morning, evening, or night depending on the sun’s intensity.

Sweat soaked my body as I shuddered once more. The nightmare had returned.

Those words still echoed in my head.

It has been three months since he uttered those cruel words. Three months of beatings, of filth, of crawling through the dregs of the pack I once called home. After his rejection, the guards had dragged and thrown me into the slave barracks, stripped of my name, of rank, of hope.

I was tortured day and night for a crime I didn't even commit, and no one was ready to hear me out.

I groaned in pain as my limbs ached, my skin burned with fever. I tried to sit up, but the chains and shackles holding me down clanked against the floor.

I shuffled to the corner. My stomach churned with hunger, and I needed medicine to break the fever. But medicine wasn’t available to slaves. If you were ill, you needed to pray to the goddess not to die from that.

I crept towards the back door, making as little noise as possible. If I could plead with one of the guards, they might sneak me a painkiller without the overseer noticing. However, I wasn't lucky as the overseer Rachel saw me.

She grabbed my hair, pulling me back.  “Thought you could sneak out without me noticing, bitch?”

“Please,” I rasped, coughing. I need something for the fever. I am the beta’s daughter, Ashley Lockwood.” I reminded her as she pulled me towards the fire pit.

“Oh, I know who you are,” Rachel mocked. “The traitorous and disgraceful behavior of the beta family!”

“I c-can’t breathe. I am dying.” I tried again. I knew the medicine chest was with her. They always had it, but were unwilling to give it to slaves.

Rachel smiled cruelly, her eyes glinting with evil. “Great. It’s the beta’s order to teach you a lesson. Maybe the illness will help us to kill you so we’d rid ourselves of an evil like you. Or maybe this will.”

Rachel pulled a branding iron from the fire pit.

My heart froze as she brought it close to my face.

“I never got the chance to mark you properly. I believe now is the time, so everyone knows how traitorous and evil you are.”

She shoved me down, holding me against the dirt floor.

I thrashed, screamed, and begged. But she wouldn’t listen, and the iron sizzled closer.

When it seemed like all hope was lost, the door went ajar, and a voice yelled.

“Stop!”

I managed to lift my head to look at who it was. Kelly.

She was an enslaved Omega, and I met with her in this place. Despite being in captivity herself, she had helped me quite a lot with bullying. Also, she was the only one who dared sneak me things, despite the danger involved.

“Alpha Jason,” Kelly panted. She catches her breath briefly before continuing. “Alpha Jason wants to see her. Now.”