002 The Blunt Rejection

Willa's POV

When I reached our cabin, granny was already waiting for me with our panic bag.

This wasn't our first drill.

"Are you hurt?!" Granny checked me head to toe, "What the hell happened this time?!"

"He asked me to strip, so I slashed my hand instead." I faked a pitiful look, trying to get away with granny's rage, "I'm really sorry but you said no sex before 18--"

"Save it! My rule is not an excuse to get away with misbehavior!" Granny glared at me sternly, seeing through my act right away. I grinned with my lips pressed.

I wasn't sorry. I hated this pack and I didn't mind leaving.

"Alpha Jason would hunt us down. We need to run. Take your medicine early today." Granny stashed a vial in my palm.

I had my mouthful with the bitter herb potion when Granny shifted in front of me.

Her bones snappings echoed among the silent forest, and a huge red wolf appeared in front of my eyes. Under the dim lights of the thin crescent, her scarlet fur was shimmering like fire.

I jumped on her back before the wind blew my hood off as she dashed into the pitch dark forest. The forest behind us was still quiet.

No one had noticed my crime yet.

We ran the whole night. Jason's men never caught up with us, but I wasn't at ease.

Being wolfless in a pack was the worst, but turning into a rogue was not an option. Rogues had no pack to protect them, and their fate was almost certain death, sooner or later.

Rogues life was already hard, and never were we hunted by an Alpha.

I gripped granny's fur on her neck, draining courage from her: [Do you think Jason would find us?]

We couldn't speak in our wolf form.

[You are up, sunshine?] Said Antonia cheerfully. She's granny's wolf, and the softer one between the two of them.

[Now you are scared? Maybe think it through next time BEFORE you poison an heir!] Granny said sternly as she trotted toward a huge tree and let me down, [Give me your hand.]

It wasn't like I poisoned him for fun...not totally.

I slipt down and held out my hand before granny licked my wound. It tingled a bit as the throbbing pain faded. It took less than a day to heal with granny's help.

I knew, I had done it a thousand times.

"Ouch, it hurts..." I pouted at granny with puppy dog eyes, and immediately her eyes flickered -- Antonia peeked out from behind granny's eyes to check on me.

[You fall for her tricks every time, Antonia. She's just acting pitiful for the guilt of messing up.] Granny rolled her eyes.

Granny always saw through me.

I grinned as I rubbed my cheek on her furry head: [I'm really sorry I messed up, Antonia. It was Liam's payback for last time.]

I was always the troublemaker.

[You were helping a wolfless girl last time. Alpha Jason was wrong to punish you. Tell her, Scarlet.] Antonia said as granny shifted back and put on clothes.

[You are the reason why Willa doesn't know how to behave.] Granny snorted. She was talking to Antonia, but they always let me hear all their conversations.

With them, I never felt I lack anything that normal kids had. I had a family. Antonia was like a mother to me, when granny was the strong father figure.

I had it all.

[So why are we stopping here? I thought we should stay close to the coast.] We stayed close to the coast when we were between packs.

No attack could come from the sea, the sea was the safe haven for rogues.

I liked the sea.

[No need. The new pack is close now.] Granny said.

[But couldn't we camp by the sea for a few days before we move to the next hostel?] I begged. I was looking forward to this part of our journey.

[Don't call it that!] Granny blurted, slapping me on the wrist with a frown.

[Scarlet means to say that there IS a pack for you somewhere, little one.] Antonia chuckled as she "translated" granny's grunt as such.

[Packs are just hostels to me now, cheap ones no less. I wish I could turn rogue.] I rolled my eyes as I hung my head.

Granny glared at me. She didn't like my nicknames for a lot of things. Like how I'd say I was the little red riding hood living in a hostel, fighting big bad wolves.

[You don't want to spend a new moon packless, do you?] Granny handed me a chunk of bread, [Now, eat. We meet the Alpha after this meal.]

Even thinking about the new moon gives me a shiver.

[Arghhhhh...] I grunted, stuffing the dry bread in my mouth, having the hardship to swallow the stone-hard crumbles. It was really more of a stone than bread, you should hear the sound when granny crashed it with her back teeth.

My stomach twisted in pain. And I knew it wasn't because of the bread.

I hated this part. This was where we explain my "condition", that I was not only wolfless but also poisoned. In short, I was no use and just a burden. Then we make our appeal and wait for the Alpha's decision.

Dreadful experience and I was NOT ready--

"Who are you?!"

A loud voice rose behind me. I jumped in shock. A man appeared from the woods. He was only in his shorts but he smelled clean.

So, not a rogue.

"Rogues, you are on the border of The Gemini Crescent Pack, identify yourself." The man demanded.

"I didn't realize we were already trespassing, beta. We are sorry." Granny bowed a little.

This man was a beta? I couldn't tell without my wolf.

The man bowed back, "This is no pack's land, but the Alpha is taking a meeting here later. You need to leave."

"We lost our pack, and are merely looking for an Alpha's protection," Granny told him.

"Our Alpha doesn't take in newcomers. You can't linger around here."

I glanced at granny in fear.

"Please, let us meet the alpha and make our plea." Granny pulled me behind her before I would do anything reckless, "We will leave if he denies us."

"I told you." The man became impatient, "The Alpha--"

"Ethan." A stone-cold voice rose behind him.

A man came toward us with two other people following him on each side. A red-haired woman and a smirky-looking guy. Guess the man in the middle was the Alpha.

A pack bond automatically recognizes the wolf with the most soul power the Alpha, and you could feel the Alpha aura off an Alpha when you meet one.

"Alpha Kirsch." Ethan bowed to the man in the middle and backed to the side. Alpha Kirsch came to me, staring.

Uptight.

That was the word that popped into my head when I saw him. He looked in his early twenties, but his eyes had wisdom tested by time. He had short brown hair in a textured short, neatly combed back, and he had the coldest emerald eyes.

I shivered as those eyes fell on me. In his eyes was so much fury that was almost hatred. Did I offend him in any way? I knew I annoyed people, but never this fast!

He sniffed slightly as he approached us, and his eyes narrowed at me as if he smelled something funny.

"We lost our pack, and are merely looking for an Alpha's protection." Granny bared her neck to show the Alpha due respect, and I mimicked her, peeking at the Alpha.

"I can't take you in my pack." The Alpha squeezed those words through his clenched teeth. His furious eyes fixed on me as if he was fighting the urge to eat me alive.