Chapter 16: The Weight of Rejection

The room was dense with Cecilia’s silence, A silence that felt unsettling, resembling the tranquility before a fierce storm. The moonlight streaming through the window lit up her tear-stained face, creating shadows that appeared to reflect the chaos within her heart. The pain in her chest came not only from the physical solitude. It stemmed from the rejection that penetrated more profoundly than any scratch or bite could. Her family abandoned her when she required their support the most. 

Cecilia sat rigidly on the couch's edge, her keen ears detecting the subtle rustle of leaves outside. Even with her heightened senses, the quiet of the house was overwhelming. Her wolf moved uneasily inside her, wandering restlessly in the limits of her thoughts. The rejection from her family still stung intensely, like an unhealed injury that wouldn't fade away. 

She tightened her fists, her nails digging into her palms as the memories surfaced painfully, pulling her back to the moment her life broke apart. 

Flashback:

It was the night of a full moon when Cecilia contacted her parents. Her wolf whined anxiously, as though it could feel the storm gathering on the other end of the line. She paused, gazing at the phone in her grasp, her claws instinctively stretching and pulling back as nervousness surged within her. At last, taking a deep breath, she hit the call button. 

The phone rang once, twice, and then she heard her mother's familiar voice respond. “Cecilia? Why are you calling so late?” The warmth in her tone was faint, as though even through the phone, her mother could sense something was wrong.

Cecilia swallowed hard, her throat tightening. “Mom... I need to tell you something.”

Her wolf growled slowly, encouraging her to get it over with, but Cecilia hesitated. The words seemed to weigh like lead on her tongue, thick and unrelenting.

"What is it?" her mother urged, her tone filled with impatience. 

"I have received a cancer diagnosis." 

The ensuing silence was overwhelming, an emptiness so immense it felt like it stretched endlessly. Cecilia paused, she was hearing the subtle catch in her mother’s breath. 

“Cancer?” her mother finally spoke, her tone cutting and disbelieving. "What are you saying? Wolves from our lineage don’t get cancer.“This must be a kind of error!” 

“It’s not an error,” Cecilia whispered gently, her voice shaking.  “The doctors confirmed it. I—”

Her mother’s voice cut through her words like a blade. “No one in our bloodline has ever been weak enough to get something like this. Are you sure this isn’t some curse you’ve brought upon yourself?”

Cecilia flinched as though struck. “Mom, please. I didn’t choose this. I...I need your support.”

“Support?” Her mother’s laugh was cold, devoid of any warmth. “You’ve always been the odd one, Cecilia. Always different. I should’ve known you’d bring shame to our pack eventually.”

The words affected her more deeply than any physical hit ever might. Her wolf cried out in sorrow, its voice resonating in her thoughts. 

“Mom, I’m begging you,” Cecilia pleaded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm still your child. I still belong to the family.”

“No, Cecilia,” her mother said firmly. “You are no longer my daughter. Whatever this is, it’s not our problem. Don’t call us again.”

The line went dead.

Cecilia gazed at the phone she held, her fingers gripping the casing tightly as she shook with disbelief and sorrow. She sensed her wolf withdrawing, curling up in a corner of her mind, hurt and quiet. 

Over the following days, her family members avoided her calls, and whispers spread through the pack. The rejection was so obvious that everyone in the pack could see it.

Present Day:

Cecilia’s keen claws scraped across the couch as she returned to reality, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her wolf fidgeted restlessly, its presence a reassuring yet painful reminder of the family she had lost. 

"I don't deserve that kind of treatment," she muttered quietly, her tone deep and raspy. 

She walked back and forth in the room, her actions swift and restless.  Her wolf’s unease mirrored her own, its instincts pushing her to fight back against the invisible chains of rejection.

The soft sound of footsteps broke her focus. Cecilia turned to see Annie, her only friend in the lonely and empty life she now had. Annie stood near the door, her expression etched with concern.

“Cecilia,” Annie said gently, her voice soothing like a warm breeze, "you're losing control again. What’s wrong?”

Cecilia hesitated. How could she explain the depth of her pain? The sense of abandonment that no amount of reassurance could heal? Her wolf snarled softly, protective of the wound it carried.

Instead of answering, Cecilia turned and strode to the kitchen, her claws clicking softly against the countertop as she gripped its edge. She closed her eyes, her wolf pushing against her mind, its presence was a quiet cry for connection, for a sense of belonging.

“You need to let it out, my friend,” Annie said, moving in closer. “You're going to break yourself if you continue to keep it inside.” 

Cecilia turned, her eyes glinting with held-back feelings. “They turned their backs on me, Annie. My family, my pack. They threw me out like I was nothing.” Her voice trembled, and she collapsed onto a nearby chair, cradling her head in her hands. "How can I recover from that?" 

Annie crouched down next to her, gently resting a reassuring hand on her arm. "You are among the powerful wolves I have come across."  And you’re not alone on this. You have me.”

The genuineness in Annie’s voice felt like a soothing balm, calming the jagged wounds of Cecilia’s spirit. Her wolf awakened, cautiously reaching out to the comforting presence of her companion's wolf.

The doorbell rang abruptly, its piercing tone slicing through the tension like a blade. Cecilia's head jerked up, her wolf immediately on high alert. 

“I’ll handle it,” Annie replied, giving Cecilia’s arm a gentle squeeze before getting up to open the door. 

Cecilia's sharp senses caught the faint scent of an unfamiliar person . Her wolf growled softly, the instinct to protect rising unbidden. She watched as Annie opened the door, revealing a man holding a clipboard.