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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rejected by the Beta: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

200 Kabanata

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

“You know, I wish you weren’t my mate,” I say, once we’re out of earshot of the others. I’d like to say it in front of everyone. I want everyone to know my true feelings about him. I want everyone to know what a coward James is. But I still won’t stoop that low.For James, it’s not just his pride on the line. It’s also his place in the pack that’s at risk. And though I resent him for not choosing me, I still begrudgingly respect what he chose. I won’t take that from him. “I wish I never met you,” I continue.The words sound wrong. They feel clunky and awful on my lips. They feel like flimsy lies I’m saying to try to make myself feel better, but it’s true. James has caused me nothing but hurt and trouble.I can see the hurt on his face as I fling these words at him. But he deserves it. He deserves to feel the intense pain he has put me through.“You let me down every single time you get the chance to,” I say. “And I’m so done with dealing with you. Don’t you ever try to tell me

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

“I’ll be back to talk with you again later,” Ryan says as he leaves the room. I try not to show my fear, but I do feel it. I wish I didn’t. I hate this sick feeling in my stomach that tells me something is wrong, that begs me to find a way out of this impossible situation.I am afraid though. I don’t know what they do to rogues. If the treatment I received on my way here was anything to base my future on, I’m in big trouble. Still, I remain strong.I don’t respond as Ryan walks away. James follows him without a response as well. And I’m left alone again.It’s not torture, of course. Not in the literal sense and I’m grateful for that. But the boredom, the sameness is a certain kind of torment. There’s nothing here to do except think about what’s going to come next and what has happened.There’s nothing to do but think of James for hours upon end. To think of how much I love him and hate him. He betrayed me and yet I still feel drawn to him and I hate myself for it.I resume exerc

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

I’m led through familiar hallways, back into the Alpha’s office. I suspect he’s going to interrogate me further and that the claim there was a guest here to see me was a lie to get me to come here without fighting. Once I enter the office though, I see my brother at Ryan’s desk. He stands and he doesn’t seem concerned or upset at all. Has our relationship fallen apart so much that he doesn’t even care that I’m a prisoner?As he looks at me, I realize something though. He is upset. But he’s mostly upset with me, and the concern is hidden in an attempt to make this seem much simpler than it is. I’m in for a lecture when I get home.“Getting yourself in trouble again, I see,” Ben says, with the smile I’ve known since we were children. He shakes his head. “I knew you were up to something, Isabel. You can’t fool me, you know. We know each other too well for that.”“I know you’ve been up to something too,” I counter. Maybe now’s not the time, but I won’t let him get away with putting

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

“Please,” Ben says, with a certain pleading in his voice that I’ve never heard before, “we’re all each other has left. Don’t blame us for what our parents did. They aren’t influences in our life anymore. We aren’t them.”I almost come out of my seat to attack him for that comment. How dare he say something like that about our parents? He’s making it sound like they did something wrong. When I know they haven’t done anything wrong. How could he sell them out like that?The tone of his voice stops me though. Ben is truly worried. He’s vulnerable right now. It wasn’t easy for him to say that. And it’s not easy for me to see my brother like this.So, I don’t say anything. We all sit there and wait for Ryan’s decision. Because this is my fault. I have to trust Ben and what he’s deciding to do to fix this. I’m thankful he’s even here.“Okay,” Ryan says finally. “I’ll let her go with you. I won’t keep her here. But I better not see her around here again.”Ryan turns to me in that command

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

“I can’t stay here,” I say. “I need to get out of this house.”Ben’s face pales. “I’m sorry,” I continue. “I love you, but I need a break from all of this. It’s too much. I can’t stay here. I need to get away for a little bit.”I run upstairs because I can’t keep looking at this brother I don’t recognize. It hurts being so close to someone only to have things change like that. He’s here, but I’ve lost him. I’ve lost James. I lost my parents and now I realize I didn’t know them fully either.So, where do I go from here? I keep losing people. It seems like I don’t have a place to fit.Then, I realize there’s still someone left, of course. My best friend is the only person who I’m not having so much drama with. And I know she’ll be willing to listen to everything and give me advice.I don’t even know that I need advice right now though. I’m not sure advice could really help me. There’s not much I can do about everything, but the listening part would be nice. And I really do need

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

“Why don’t you guys eat together and I’ll go up to my room?” Sharon suggests. “There’s plenty there for an extra person. Are you hungry, James?”“Starving,” he admits.“I don’t want to do that to you in your own house though,” I protest.“No need to worry about that,” Sharon says, as she goes into the dining room and grabs her food. “There’s a show I’ve been meaning to catch up on anyway. Don’t mind me.”Sharon grabs her food and leaves while James goes into the kitchen and fixes himself a plate. We sit at the table and face each other as if we aren’t nearly as closely bonded as we are.“Food is a good idea, I guess,” I say. “Better to discuss things while we’re not hangry. But I’m still not sure what needs to be discussed.“I feel like you made yourself clear when you didn’t stand up for me, when you acted like you didn’t even know me when we were in front of your pack.“And I get it’s tough with you being a Beta. That’s why I haven’t pushed it as much before. But when my freed

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Ryan’s warning sticks in my mind for the rest of my shift.Stay away from James.There is something about that threat though that sticks to me even deeper than most would. Because there was feeling behind those woods. He truly means it.He knows there’s something between James and I. He knows and he hates it. And it’d be so stupid and dangerous to meet with James tonight, even though I already agreed to.Ryan has shown his loyalties of course lie with James. If we’re caught, I’m the one who’s going to pay the highest price. Yet, I still take extra time getting ready that night. I pick out a simple, light blue dress that I hope will catch the moonlight. I do my hair. I apply light makeup.“You’re really going to meet with him after everything?” Sharon asks, as she looks me over.“I have to,” I say. “Despite everything, he is my mate. I have to go to him. I’m drawn to him. It feels like fate. And I did already agree to meet with him.”She shakes her head in disapproval but she d

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

“It’s them,” I say. “I recognize that howl from when they captured me before. It’s them. It’s their pack.”I panic. Did James set me up? Is that why they’re coming? Did I put myself and Ben in danger because I was blinded to the kind of person James really is?“Maybe they’re not after us,” Ben says, though his voice is hitched in worry. He scans the trees around us.It’s all too clear they’re coming though. The howls are getting closer. They’re going to find us and who knows what they’re going to do to us this time.“Hide,” Ben orders in a low voice. “I’ll distract them. You hide.”“I can’t let you do that,” I protest. “This is happening because of me. I can’t…”“I mean it, Isabel,” he interrupts me. “You need to listen. I’m dead serious about this and I’m not going to fight you on it.“I’m faster. I’m stronger. I’m your older brother and I’ve already done so much to protect and take care of you. Don’t let that be in vain now. I need you to hide.”I think of everything he’s tol

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

The cold of the night settles in once the pack leaves. It reaches through my skin, into my soul. And I stay there much longer than I need to so I can feel safe. I probably stay there much longer than I should.The pact was extra terrifying this time though, so I can’t get it out of my mind. I worry that if I leave, I’ll run into them and who knows what they’ll do to me this time. Who knows what they’ll do to Ben.I stand, deciding that if I’m captured, at least maybe I’ll be brought to Ben and we can deal with this together. This will all be better if we can do this together.Of course, I know that if I’m going to save him, I’ll have a better chance at doing so if I’m not in chains. So, I want to avoid capture if I can.I will save him regardless. If I have to, anyway.As I walk back to my house I think about if I really will have to save him. The pack caught me and they didn’t harm me. They just put me in a cell and then let me go.That has to be the case with Ben as well. Sur

CHAPTER FORTY

JAMES’S POV“Just come with me,” I say, hoping she’ll follow me without too many questions. This decision has already taken a lot out of me. It’s already difficult to even think about doing this. I don’t have the strength now to answer questions. It’s too draining. “Why?” she asks, because of course she does. “Where are we going?”“Just trust me,” I say. “We don’t have time to go into it right now. And if I’m being honest, I still have to fully think this through. I still need to come up with the perfect words to say because it is a pretty big risk.”“A big risk?” she asks. “What we’re doing is risky?”“Of course, it is,” I reply. “Saving Ben’s life is going to come with a risk. But I know how much you love your brother. I know you’re willing to take risks to save him.”“More than willing,” she agrees, just as I knew she would.“Exactly,” I reply. “So, let’s go. We don’t have much time.”She follows me out of the house and into the woods. Then, we shift into wolf form an

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