Rejection

"I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to show you around. I got...tied up," Camilla said with a subtle smirk on her lips. After Alexander marked her, they rushed to the nearest unoccupied room and mated. Now that Alexander marked Camilla, his wolf would recognize Camilla as his true mate as well. The thought of Amari going mateless for the rest of her life filled Camilla with joy. She would attend Amari’s stupid party tonight, leave with Alexander, and be officially introduced to the Artemis Pack as their new Luna.

Amari glared eerily at Camilla through the mirror. She was pissed that Camilla was so inconsiderate. Her sister knew how important finding her mate was to her. Titania was ravenous, aching to spill blood, but Amari couldn't understand why.

"She smells like him. She smells like our mate."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, she was around him. She has showered and sprayed herself with perfume, but I can faintly smell him on her. I do not trust her."

Amari knew the feeling. She couldn't trust Camilla as far as she could throw her.

"We're all done. You're so beautiful, Amari. Happy birthday," Camilla cooed.

Amari suspiciously narrowed her eyes at Camilla through the mirror. "Thank you," she replied, not meaning a single word.

"You're welcome. I hope you find your mate tonight, and I pray he's good to you," Camilla wished before leading her sister out of the bedroom. "Are you ready?" Camilla asked with her hand on the doorknob.

Amari nervously nodded her head. Her heart raced, her palms were sweaty, and she felt a little woozy at the thought of finally going outside. Her feet were about to touch soil for the very first time. Her skin would feel the kiss of the autumn breeze against her cheeks. If Amari were lucky, she'd feel the cool drops of rainfall from the sky. She finally had her chance. No longer did she have to experience the world vicariously through her sister or the television. She knew once she stepped outside those doors that her life would change forever.

"I'm ready," Amari whispered.

The door opened, and a mirage of unfamiliar scents assaulted her. She could feel a headache coming on from Titania's howling in her head. Titania begged for Amari to shift, but time was of the essence. Titania's paws had only touched the padded floor of the training room. She craved to feel the soil squished underneath her paws with each freeing gallop. She wanted to throw her head back and howl at the blinding moon. Titania felt that making her wait a second longer was absolute cruelty.

Amari shakily made her way out the front door. Her feet slowly moved, pulling her further and further from the only life she knew. The full moon pulled her like a siren calling to lonely sailors. It was as if she could hear the moon whisper, "Come." It was beautiful, bright, and the urge to stare at it for the rest of the night was great. Tears poured from her eyes. How could her father ever keep this away from her? She would've gladly chanced being kidnapped for a peek at the ethereal moon.

"Come on. Let's go!" Camilla growled, snatching Amari towards the packhouse.

"Stop!" Amari ordered. "You were gone for hours earlier, so you can wait a few more minutes!" Amari snapped.

"Fine. Be a brat!" Camilla yelled, storming towards the direction of the packhouse. Amari could find her own way.

Amari found a spot on the lush grass to sit and closed her eyes. She ran her fingers through the soft blades of grass. She ripped a handful from the ground, pressed them against her nose, and deeply inhaled.

"Grass," she whispered, opening her eyes. The sight of a light bug caught her attention. She watched as it came closer, blinking in and out as it flew by. She found herself lying on her back, watching the stars. Ten minutes passed when she suddenly jerked herself into a seated position.

"Mate!" Amari and Titania simultaneously chimed. Amari took off in the direction of the wonderful scent. He smelled like coffee with a hint of nutmeg. It was the most delicious smell she had ever experienced. She froze once she made it outside the packhouse. There he was. Tall, handsome, and absolutely mouth-watering.

Amari approached him slowly, and with each step, her love for him grew and grew. She was dying to hear his name and couldn't wait to speak it upon her lips.

"Mate."

"Excuse me?" he questioned.

"Mate. You're my mate. I am Amari Winters, daughter of Alpha Charles Winters."

"No, I'm sorry. You have me confused. Plus, Alpha Winters only has one daughter, Camilla Winters. She is my mate."

"What? No, she's not! I am!" Amari yelled.

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I don't care for your blasphemy!"

"I love you! You're my mate!" Amari shouted as she attempted to wrap her arms around him. She gaped in shock when he shoved her away. His blatant rejection caused her heart to seize in her chest. Why was he doing this to her? Why didn't he recognize her as his mate?

"Alex, honey. What's going on out here?"

Amari cocked her head to the side once Camilla strolled out of the house and wrapped her arms around her mate's waist.

"Do you know this crazy girl? She's claiming to be your sister and that I'm her mate."

"Yeah, this is my younger sister, Amari. She’s been hidden away all her life, and this is the first time she's left the house. She's a little delusional. You can see why we kept her locked up," Camilla explained with a mischievous grin on her face. "As you can see, my dearest Amari, Alpha Beaumont is my mate," Camilla said, flipping her hair over her shoulder to reveal her mark.

Amari blacked out, and Titania came forward. Titania held Camilla in the air by her neck, slowly crushing Camilla's windpipe with every passing second.

"I will kill you for your underhanded treachery!" Titania yelled out as Alexander attempted to free Camilla. "I'll hurt you so much. You'll wish you were never born!" Titania gritted out before finally releasing Camilla to the ground.

Camilla sobbed on the ground while Alexander held her in his arms. He threw a hateful glare at Amari that made her world come crashing down. Unstoppable tears spilled forth from her eyes. "Please...don't believe her. I'm your mate. She-she tricked you!"

"LEAVE! I will request a meeting with Alpha Winters immediately, and you will be punished accordingly for hurting my mate!" Alexander growled as he held the love of his life in his arms.

Amari, unable to take the betrayal any longer, ran towards the forest as fast as possible. She ran and ran and ran until she couldn't any longer. She reached a cliff that offered a perfect view of the magnetic moon. She plopped her weary body on the grass and cried. Her painful wails could be heard from the packhouse, yet no one recognized who they were coming from. It took a better part of an hour for her to cry herself out. Her throat was sore, and she was sure her voice would be hoarse in the morning. Amari stared into nothingness and contemplated jumping off the cliff. How was she supposed to live with this pain? How was she supposed to live knowing her sister stole her mate? How could she live knowing her mate hated her? As the hours went by, jumping was beginning to sound more and more appealing. No one would miss her if she were gone. No one would even have a kind word to say at her funeral. She was a ghost.

Amari snapped to attention when she heard multiple feet running in her direction. She focused her attention on the tree line and could catch the scent of her mate coming closer and closer. She excitedly stood to her feet and wiped her dress off believing he had finally come to his senses and saw through Camilla's underhandedness and now planned on rightfully claiming Amari as his mate.

"I will kill you!" Alexander yelled once he laid eyes on Amari.

"Wh-what? Kill me? For what?"

"You killed her!"

"Killed who?" Amari asked in confusion.

"Get her and bring her back to the castle!" Alpha Beaumont ordered.

Amari stumbled back when she felt a couple of rounds of silver bullets pierce her flesh. She sank to her knees, and the last thing she remembered seeing was the silvery moon hanging low in the sky.

**********

"Wake up, you piece of shit!" Amari heard. She gasped and sputtered when a bucket of water was tossed in her face. She quickly surveyed her surrounding once she gained her composure. She was in a dungeon, chained to a wall by her neck, arms, and legs.

"Why did you do it? Was your jealousy that great?"

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You killed her. You killed Camilla."

"Camilla's dead? I didn't kill Camilla!" Amari shrieked, trying to break free of the chains. The silver bullets from earlier drained her of all her energy.

"You didn't physically kill her, but you hired someone to kill and rape Camilla."

"No, I didn't! Do you know how stupid that sounds?! I've been locked in a house for 18 years with no contact with the outside world until I met you tonight. How in the hell did I manage to find someone and hire them to kill my sister in that amount of timeframe? I wouldn't even know where to begin looking!"

"Don't play coy with me! It was you! You choked and threatened her right before my eyes! You said you would kill her and make her wish she had never been born!" Alexander yelled, wiping the pitiful tears that fell from his eyes. He just found his mate, and less than ten hours later, she was viciously taken from him. Amari could deny her involvement all she wanted; she would pay for her crimes.

"I-I shouldn't have ever said it! I'm sorry, but I was so angry! She tricked you. She stole you from me. That dress she wore earlier? That was my dress! Somehow, she must've made herself smell like me. Can you not see now that she's dead that we're mates?!"

Alexander chuckled humorlessly and shook his head as he approached Amari. "All I see are your lies. I'm going to allow my men to hurt you so bad that you're going to wish you were never born," he whispered in her ear, causing her eyes to widen in fear.

"Put her in the cell and make her scream," Alexander ordered before leaving the dungeon.

"NO! NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! COME BACK!" Amari wailed.