All Chapters of Rejected By My Alpha: His Second Chance : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Consciousness came back to me in fragments, more like shattered mirror struggling to reassemble.Heat. That was the first thing that registered. Sweet, life-giving heat creeping into numb extremities. Next was the scent of woodsmoke and something else, something wild and unbridled that roused my hurt wolf for the first time since it occurred.I tried to open my eyes, but my lids felt too heavy to raise. My throat was raspy, lips dry and bleeding from cold. Every muscle in my body throbbed as if I'd been stomped by a pack."She's waking up."The voice belonged to the forest scarred woman. I remembered her now, remembered the careless manner in which she'd wanted me to be killed."About time," snarled the older man. "Thought we'd brought a corpse back here for nothing.""Give her space to breathe." I recognized this voice only as different from the one i heard last in the storm, and it had the same commanding aura. "...And bring me some water. She's dehydrated."There were footsteps goi

The next morning arrived with a sharp knock on the cabin door and Vera's gruff voice calling, "Time to work, omega. Alpha's waiting."My body protested each movement as I struggled to fit into the loose garments that had been left for me. The struggle of putting on boots caused my eyes to blur, but I gritted my teeth and struggled through the weakness. Lucien had made it clear what he wanted from me. No excuses.Outside, the settlement of Haven's Rest revealed itself in the pale morning light. It was larger than I had thought, with perhaps two dozen structures spread around a natural clearing ringed by huge pines. Some were pleasant cabins such as the one I had been recovering in, while others were little more than reinforced lean-tos and tents. Smoke was billowing out of several chimneys, and I could see people getting on with their morning routine.They all stopped in their tracks, gaping as I came into sight."Fresh meat," one of them shouted out, earning a chorus of chuckles from

The dawn had come too soon and not soon enough.I had slept little, my mind filled with questions about the abilities that I'd demonstrated at training. The moment that I dropped off, I was again in that moment of sharp understanding when time had dragged, when I'd responded on reflexes that I never had.The air was sharp with frost and I breathed tiny puffs into the darkness as I made my way to the training grounds. I was ready to find Garrett standing over me, his scowl outlined in the dim light and collection of wooden swords at the ready.There was Lucien instead.He alone stood in the clearing, dressed in black leather that seemed to draw in the early morning darkness. Two daggers hung on his belt, their blades catching the first wash of sunlight. When he turned towards me, his amber-colored eyes were fixed with an intensity that made my stomach twist with fear."Where is Garrett?" I demanded."Garrett's training session is with the soldiers," Lucien declared, beginning to stalk

The howl shattering the darkness was wrong.I sprang up in my small cabin, my heartbeat thumping against my chest. That sound, low growl, heavy with malice, caused a shiver to run down my spine. It was not the cry of any wolf from Haven's Rest. There was something peculiar about it. Something that hunted.Across the settlement, pandemonium broke into action. Shouts rang out from every direction as warriors burst forth from their beds. Heavily loaded footsteps pounded upon my door, and I heard Garrett scream above the noise."Northern perimeter broken! All warriors to the north wall!"I quickly dressed and stumbled outside, nearly colliding with Finn as he ran by."Get inside," he yelled back over his shoulder. "Barricade your door and don't go outside until it's over."I had no choice, though. Not when I could hear the sound of fighting getting closer, the snarls and wails of wolves killing one another in bloody combat. Behind the trees to the north, I could see glimpses of movement,

I sat on the edge of my cot in my small cabin and stared at my blood-stained hands.The silver light had faded from my tattoo, but I could still feel the heat of it on my skin. The ancient runes that had appeared on my skin when I'd awakened were gone, but somehow I knew they were still there, just beneath the surface like sleeping snakes.I flexed my fingers, surprised at how steady they were. A few hours ago, these very hands had taken three lives without flinching. I should have felt guilt, horror, disgust for what I'd done.Instead, I felt proud.The realization should have disturbed me, but it didn't. Those villains wanted to hurt children. Innocent cubs who had done nothing to deserve hurting. Protecting them had not been an option, it had been instinct. As natural as breathing."We did well tonight," I told the empty room.Nyra's response was immediate, as clear as if she'd spoken aloud. "We protected our pack. Our family. It was what we had to do."The ease of our conversation