Share

The Aftermath

Author: Moonbunnie
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-06 21:15:45

Ella

It grew quieter as the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance. They were gone.

They had rejected me, and they didn’t care about how that affected me. That was the height of their cruelty, but in a way, I understood them.

As I stumbled through the woods, my vision blurred with tears that I refused to shed. I tried to see things from their perspective as the conversation replayed in my mind.

While I had put on a brave face earlier, now, alone, I could admit that it broke me to come to terms with reality.

Each step felt heavy. I had longed for silence, but this was deafening. My head throbbed, and my limbs felt weak from exhaustion and something else— something I would be thinking about for a long time.

I stopped walking and looked back, hoping for a moment that they had changed their minds and returned. Then I broke into a short laugh. Hope was such a silly concept, especially when this was my reality.

Nothing could change it now. I was always going to be the omega that nobody wanted.

“At least there’s something consistent in my life,” I said sarcastically, continuing to walk.

I looked around and sighed. The world felt quiet, and it seemed like the earth itself was mourning with me. Finally breaking free of the trees, I stepped into a clearing where the moon hung low in the sky, casting a silver glow over everything.

It was beautiful, yet all I could feel was the void inside me where the bond had once thrummed with life.

The cold night air nipped at my skin, but I paid it no mind. I sank onto the wet grass, gazing up at the stars. In that instant, I felt like a mere girl. A shattered girl, stripped of her identity and purpose.

The pain of their rejection was still fresh, a raw wound that throbbed with every heartbeat. I couldn’t bring myself to go back to the pack. This would be fuel for them to pick on me for weeks.

Everyone would want to take a jab at the former mate of the Blackthorn twins. My mouth suddenly felt bitter as I pondered everything. I could already feel the whispers and rumors spreading throughout the pack like wildfire.

“What a scandal,” I muttered, shaking my head. I stopped walking and sat down for a moment.

There was no use running anymore. It was over now. I’d be a cautionary tale, a reminder of what happens when an omega dares to dream too big. But that was the most unfair part of this entire fiasco.

I hadn’t dreamed too big. Heck, I hadn’t dreamed at all. The twins dedicated their lives to making me feel insignificant. Why would I want to be their mate? But no one would be ready to listen to my side of the story. Their version would always be better.

My thoughts spiraled into a dark abyss, but a flicker of defiance sparked deep inside me. I refused to let them win. I had spent too long hiding, too long accepting their bullying. If I could survive that, I could survive this.

As I sat there, I felt a presence—a familiar energy creeping into the clearing. I turned my head slowly, half-expecting to see the twins returning to gloat. Instead, it was a figure I hadn’t expected to see.

Lyla, my best friend and the only person who had ever stood up for me, stepped into the moonlight. Her auburn hair caught the glow, making her look almost ethereal.

She rushed toward me, her expression filled with concern. She studied my face for a bit and hesitated when I took a defensive stance.

“Ella? Are you alright? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” she said, walking toward me with cautious steps.

I relaxed and sank back onto the grass. She knelt beside me, her brow furrowed with worry. “What happened? I saw them leave, and you were… you were just gone.”

“They rejected me,” I whispered, the words bitter on my tongue. “Both of them.”

“What do you mean they rejected you?” she asked, confused. I turned to meet her gaze.

“In the hallway… I felt it. We all felt it. I had never experienced anything like it, and, quite frankly, I didn’t want to. But hearing them say it out loud…” My voice trailed off.

Lyla’s eyes widened in shock. “What? No! You’re not… They can’t—” She stammered, shaking her head angrily. “You’re their mate! They don’t get to just throw that away!”

“They did,” I said with a hollow laugh. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just an omega. I was never enough for them.”

“No, don’t say that!” Lyla grabbed my shoulders, her grip firm. “You’re more than enough. You’re strong, smart, and brave. They’re the ones who don’t deserve you.”

I nodded, but their words echoed in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy. “It doesn’t change what they think of me, Lyla. I’m still the girl they bullied, the one they looked down on. I can’t just forget that.”

She sighed, her expression softening. “I know it hurts, but you can’t let them define you. You have to rise above this, Ella. You’re not just an omega. You’re so much more. I know that.”

Her words ignited a flicker of hope within me, and I clung to it desperately. “What should I do next?”

Lyla leaned back on her heels, her eyes thoughtful. “You should focus on yourself. Train and grow stronger. Show them that you’re not going to be a victim anymore. You deserve to find happiness, even if it’s not with them.”

The idea of training was unfamiliar to me. I had always avoided the physical challenges the pack offered, preferring to stay in the shadows. But maybe she was right. Maybe it was time for a change.

“Okay,” I muttered, my voice steady now. “I’ll train. I’ll show them I’m not the weak omega they think I am.”

Lyla smiled, a spark of pride lighting her eyes. “That’s the spirit! I’ll help you. We’ll work on your combat skills, your speed, everything. You’ll be unstoppable.”

I stood up, brushing the grass off my clothes. I wasn’t going to let their rejection define me. I was going to become stronger, faster, and more formidable than ever before.

As I walked back to the packhouse with Lyla beside me, a familiar ache settled in my chest. The bond may have been broken, but I couldn’t easily forget them.

The twins were a part of me now, and despite my efforts to push that connection away, it remained.

“Let’s get started,” I said, shaking off the lingering doubts. “Tomorrow, we train.”

Lyla’s smile filled me with hope after the rejection.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   ELLA

    ELLAHe slowed his pace even more until he was practically trotting and started to sniff the air. The scent became predominant in the area, and the feeling of danger at the end of the road grew heavier—it was evident that he had sensed it too.At this point, he stopped moving and began looking in different directions, trying to ascertain what it was.This was my chance to exit the scene, but curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to see where this would lead. I had never felt anything of this magnitude, and it terrified me as much as it left me feeling curious.I promised myself that I was only here to see what would happen and that I would leave as soon as I was satisfied, but this was about to be a case of not sticking to the plans I had made—and I was a willing victim.The only upside to this was that it was his problem to deal with. I couldn’t help him from here, and whatever it was would buy me more time to find Claire and get this over with once and for all. I watched as s

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   Ella

    ELLARealizing that Lucian was headed in my direction evoked something feral in me. Waves of anxiety, rage, and something I couldn’t place a label on enveloped me as I tried to come to terms with what was happening.I felt so much anger that I wanted to reach out and pummel him if that would get him to leave me alone, but from this point that was an impossible feat.My thoughts of resting before continuing the process flew out the window as I remembered why I wanted to fast-track it in the first place. My fears had been confirmed — he knew I was the one in his mind.Kade must’ve told him about our conversation, and that would be a motivating factor for him to come find me. I knew I couldn’t trust Kade to be on my side or at least keep our meeting a secret from his brother, but I was hoping that it would take a little longer for something like this to happen.For a quick second, I tried to convince myself that he was headed in a different direction and that I was just being paranoid. I

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   Ella

    ELLAAll my life I’ve been looked down on for being an omega. Finding out that I played an important role in the grand scheme of things made me feel a lot better about myself than I had in a long time.I wasn’t just any omega. I was the reincarnation of one of the most powerful werewolves to walk the earth.My existence hadn’t occurred in about three generations, and I was here for a cause. Finally, I could stop feeling like I didn’t know which direction my life was headed.Still, I hated that the Blackthorn twins would also be part of this journey, and I would proceed with the bond cutting regardless of their role in the grand scheme of things.No one would want to let go of the opportunity to have their bloodline mix with that of the druids if they knew how important it was. They probably didn’t know, and I intended to keep it that way.I lay there quietly, listening to the low hum of the machines still connected to my arm while fighting the urge to tell Claire everything I had hear

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   Ella

    ELLAAs she spoke, the scenery became distorted for a split second, then changed completely. We were back in the field filled with bloody puddles, and I watched the moment when she made the sacrifice replay.She had started by cutting her wrists and making specific incisions in different parts of her body.She had dropped her other weapons and begun walking toward the enemy. The pack members who were still alive saw what she was doing; they thought she had gone insane from the trauma of losing her family and didn’t try to pull her back.But they heard the chant and joined her. The atmosphere intensified, and I could see the terror in the eyes of the opponents as she edged closer to their end of the field.Her body began to release steam, and the winds picked up pace. She began levitating and glowing as she transformed from human to wolf form. No one had seen this kind of manifestation before, but the Harpers were so entrenched in their culture that they recognized it as something symb

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   Ella

    ELLAI listened attentively as Ava spoke. I had never had anyone give me a history lesson on my pack, nor did I expect that it would come in a vision—else I would have tried to cut off the bond a long time ago. This was nothing like I had ever experienced.It was one thing to be in the minds of others and see things from their perspective; it was another to feel like you were present when a series of events occurred.As she spoke, I felt entranced by her words, and the scenes she talked about unfolded before me as though I were reliving them.She started by telling me about our connection with the druids. Knowing that they had found my pack worthy of receiving their knowledge filled me with warmth.It felt good to know that I had come from a long line of people who were kind enough for the universe to bestow abilities on them that others would die for. I hung onto her every word, resisting the urge to ask questions so I wouldn’t interrupt her and derail the tale.I learned about how t

  • Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate   LUCIAN

    LUCIAN“If I wanted to get insulted, I think I could’ve found a better job of finding someone who knows a lot about me and would be able to come up with words that’d hit home,” I retorted as anger coursed through my body in swift waves. “I don’t appreciate being spoken to in that manner.”“Anyone who knows you would be too scared to say anything substantial to you, given your track record of choosing brute force over solving issues with tact. I don’t care, that’s the difference.”“Why? You think I won’t reach over and try brute force because…”“As much as you let your muscles think for you, there’s still hope left for intellect. If you give it a chance and—” she started, and I squinted.“Yet another snide comment,” I interrupted.“Expect more,” she replied with a shrug. “I’m particularly annoyed that I tried to tell you and your brother how dire things were and suggest a solution, but neither of you wanted to hear me out. Now we have to deal with an escalated version of the situation.

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status