Chapter Two_ Rejected.

Nerissa’s POV

When I awoke, I was very slow and had a headache.

I was lost for a moment. 

 I was in  a room I hadn't seen before. The soft couch beside the fireplace, the soiled clothes strewn over the floor, the faint golden glow of light through the curtains… all seemed to be bizarre.

Suddenly, the past night's memories all flooded back.

The prom.

The alcohol.

Kaelen.

But a voice suddenly broke into my thoughts before me, from across the room.

“Took you long enough!”

I froze.

Kaelen was standing at the window with his back half turned to me. His black shirt was only half buttoned.

He was very alert, unlike me.

And furious.

My throat tightened.

“Kaelen…”

Right away he snapped, “Don't say my name like that.”

I flinched.

Oh, the heat of the night was gone from his face. It was as if the man who held me so many hours ago was gone.

Kaelen looked at me  in disgust.

“What the hell happened last night?” he demanded.

I swallowed nervously.

“You were in pain,” I started softly. “ you…you asked me to help you.”

Kaelen laughed bitterly.

He repeated mockingly, “Help me?“Help me? Do you really believe that?

I looked at him in wonder, but I couldn't do anything.

“You planned this.” He hissed.

“No, it was not what happened,” I whispered. “You were suffering because of the drug.” “You gave me cash to come help you—”

Kaelen's smirk widened.

“So you admit it.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“You had sex with me for my cash.”

“No!” I said quickly.

Kaelen moved slowly towards me.

Each step made me even more nervous.

“You drugged me! You made me pay you! You…you planned all of this.”

I felt tears burning in my eyes as soon as he said those words.

I said quietly, “I didn't drug you.”

“Well, of course you didn't,” Kaelen said sarcastically. “You're not like that, you don't do anything directly; you wait for a chance and catch the guys when their guards are down. What a shame!”

My heart was pierced by his words.

I tried my best to keep my cool.

“You’re misunderstanding everything.”

Then Kaelen suddenly pulled a big pile of cash out of his pocket.

He then tossed it onto the bed next to me.

The bills were strewn all around.

“Take it!” he said coldly.

I was in a state of dismay at the sight of the cash.

“What?”

“Consider it payment.”

I was embarrassed. “I don’t want your dirty money!” I screamed.  “ I only wanted to help you! You made the first move!” 

He glanced me over sluggishly.

His eyes looked into my eyes of disgust and broke something inside.

“You seriously thought that I would take the chance to lay with someone like you?” he snarled.

I froze completely.

Kaelen scoffed. “Look at yourself Nerissa.”

I started to take shallow, irregular breaths.

“I like a woman that I'm able to carry easily,” he went on coldly. “Not overweight girls that struggle to walk.”

All my insecurities that I had laid to rest crashed when he said those words.

I almost choked on my own tears, "Please stop." I whispered.

Kaelen wasn't done, though.

“Savor whatever happened last night, may be your only chance” he said forcefully. “You wouldn’t be of interest to most men.”

I quickly wiped my tears away, since I did not want to cry in front of him.

I weakly said, “STOP.”

Kaelen's face turned into a grimace.

But he said, ‘And pay attention.’ “I love Selene.”

This was even more painful.

“She's the woman that I want,” he added with conviction. “Not you.”

I lowered my head silently.

“If you cause me trouble after this,” Kaelen said menacingly, “I will send you to your mother!”

I was instantly frightened.

He walked even nearer.

“No one should know  what happened last night.”

I nodded, tears rushing down my face.

Kaelen then picked up his jacket from the chair nearby. Without another word he walked towards the door. For one stupid second, I hoped that he would look back. He didn’t. He slammed the door behind him. Then the room seemed suddenly too bare.

After a few moments of intensely staring at the bills scattered on the bed, I broke down. I couldn’t stop my sobs from coming out, and I felt more than humiliated.

I cried for him and I hated myself for doing this. I didn't like myself for having thought last night had some meaning. And most of all…

I disapproved of the way he hurt me with his words. After a while, I had to clear up and get out of the room. There was less noise in the academy halls as students were either back home or had yet to return after prom night.

When I arrived at the pack house I was quite exhausted. Sadly, the peace in this house did not endure long. As soon as I came through the front door, Selene came into sight.

“There you are,” she snapped angrily.

I walked no more.

Selene put her arms across her chest. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing last night was for me?”

I blinked tiredly. “What?”

“Where did you go?” she shrieked. “I spent half of the night searching for you.”

A fleeting moment of guilt suffused me.

“I’m sorry.”

Selene looked down, eyes rolling.

“Sorry?” she repeated. “You were my helper at  prom, Nerissa, and that's all you had to do. But you still managed to fuck that up!”

Without waiting for my  response, she walked away. I quietly went up the stairs and into my room, wishing that I could just never come out of bed.

However, just as my head touched the pillow, Vivian's voice suddenly rang out in the house.

“Nerissa!”

I froze immediately.

“Come down here now!”

I took a shaky breath, slowly turned and walked back towards the living room.

Vivian was standing close to the sofa, her face red. Cedric was sitting nearby reading some papers, but not paying much attention to them. When Vivian finally took in my whole figure, her face became darker.

“Where were you last night?” she asked in a stern voice.

“ I already said sorry.” I replied.

“But that's not sufficient,” Vivian chimed in. “You made her look a fool in front of everyone.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

Vivian went on angrily, “You left your duties behind. Can't you see how selfish that was?”

I stayed quiet.

I had no reason to make any excuse.

Vivian came up to them, but continued to shout.

Then suddenly…

She stopped.

Her eyes narrowed at my neck and looked at me.

“What is that?”