Verena
An hour later, I step inside Elijah’s bedroom to get all my stuff. The walls of the room make me suffocated as it reminds me of the times we have spent here. Brushing those thoughts away, I focus on my task at hand. There is no point in staying in this packhouse so I’ll pack my things and leave. The money I have saved from my stock investments will get me to stay for six months in a five-star hotel.
I will use that time to find a job. Since I have always been focused on my duties as the Luna of this pack, I never got the time to pursue anything else, especially my dream to open a bakery. Now that I no longer have any duties towards the pack, I can focus on my dream and have a bakery shop of my own.
Feeling a little energetic from the idea, I start to pull out all my accessories from the drawer when my eyes fall on a photo frame. Bright blue sky, palm trees and sand fill the background before which stands a couple smiling at me. The lady’s cheeks are pink, and the shine in her eyes is unavoidable as her man has his arm wrapped around her waist.
“Haha! You can’t catch me!” I scream as I run across the sand, the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the cool breeze tangling my hair. Elijah has a challenging look on his face as he chases me, but there’s a subtle smile on his handsome sun-kissed face.
Before I know it, his strong arms grab me from behind, “Looks like I won,” I gasp as he gently lifts me off my feet, my heart fluttering in my chest. With a playful smile, he swings me around. Our laughter mixes and rings in the air, the world fading away as we get lost into the moment.
My hand trembles as I run my palm over the picture in the photo frame. Those were some of our best moments, filled with joy and sweetness. Our relationship wasn’t one of love, but he was slowly warming up to me.
"Oh, looks like there is a thief in here," Nixie's voice startles me as I find her standing inside the room. "How dare you try to steal my things?" she accuses me with her arms crossed.
I look at the clothes that I am holding. "These are my things."
She scoffs, "No more. Whatever you had before, it all belongs to me now. Including Elijah." Her words cut deep, and she smiles in satisfaction, enjoying the effect her words have on me. Her eyes lower to my hand, zeroing in on the ring I am wearing.
I look at the diamond ring. It's a very special ring to me as Elijah gifted it to me on my birthday. "This ring will protect you from everything and my heart is in it. I give it to you," He said when he slid it onto my index finger. It's a rare diamond that can't be bought with money.
"Hand over that ring right now," Nixie says, her eyes beaming with greed.
I take a step back, holding my hand. "No." This ring means a lot to me. Even if I am separated from Elijah, I still want to keep a part of him with me forever.
“I won’t say it again. Give it to me; it's my order! Your Luna’s order,” she shouts.
“You'll never be my Luna. And I'm not giving this to you,” I reply confidently.
“Fuck you!” she grabs my wrist forcefully, and I yelp as a sharp pain shoots through my finger to my spine as she pulls the ring out of me forcefully. “Give it to me or I’ll cut your fingers off, you fucking bitch!” she yells.
Instinctively, I push her away with my other hand, and she stumbles back onto someone’s chest. My eyes go round when I see Elijah holding her from behind. His eyes are as cold as the Arctic, freezing me in my spot. “What is happening here?”
“E-elijah,” Nixie starts crying, and wraps her arms around his neck, “I–” she sniffs, “I was only asking her how costly the ring is and she pushed me away.” She sobs like a baby.
“That’s not true. She was trying to take the ring from me!” I protest.
“So what if she did?” he asks, his face like a carved stone with no emotions. I stare at him, trying to process what he said for a moment. “I told her that she can have the ring when she asked me about it.”
My eyes widen in disbelief, unblinking as they stare at him. Time stands still. I can’t believe what he is saying.
“Hand over the ring to her, Rena,” he demands in a frosty voice. My feet feel glued to the floor. Nixie’s lips curl in a smile as she watches me in despair. The room closes around me, suffocating me with the weight of its shattered expectations. My lips curve upwards, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. It's devoid of any joy and is a mask to hide the emptiness within. Why did I even hope that he’ll care for me? Stupid, stupid me.
I walk towards them and pull out the ring from my finger. “Here, take it,” I say while the smile remains intact. “You can have everything else here too. I don’t want it anymore.” It's exhausting to keep hoping that things will change, that he’ll take me back. Those are my last words, and I walk out of the room, accepting my defeat. Nixie wins, I lose.
Suddenly, I feel a hand grab my wrist from behind and hear Elijah’s voice, “Rena.” I freeze. His voice is so gentle. My heart pounds in my chest, and I look past my shoulder to meet his black eyes. “The rejection ceremony is going to start soon. I’ll wait for you at the training grounds.”
Verena I smile, while my heart breaks in pain. He is so good at crushing my heart, like it's an object. “I will be there in time.” Saying that, I pull my hand away from him, engraving his touch for the last time in my head. A while later, I look at my reflection in the mirror. Dark eye bags hang under my green eyes, like someone has sucked the soul out of me. Only half an hour left before the ceremony begins, and after that, I will be separated from Elijah completely. I have mentally prepared myself for it, but physically, I am in a mess. Nixie took all my clothes and accessories, even the ones I bought myself. I am not that interested in fashion, so most of my clothes and jewelry were gifted by Elijah. So now, I have nothing to wear except this dress that I have on. My hands tremble a little in concern. Without anything, it will be hard for me to survive. But then I remind myself that I will be a mother soon. Stress is not good for the baby. I rub my belly, “Mamma promises to be s
Verena I have to fight this. If Nixie wins, my pup will be in danger. I won't let that happen. We walk down the stairs and step outside. The sky is filled with gray clouds. On the large training grounds where the air usually buzzes with excitement and the energy of warriors, there's a damp, silent atmosphere among the people who came to watch the ceremony. None of them seem sad to watch me get rejected. They've never wanted me as their Luna because I'm an orphan. I take my place in the center of the ground. The people on the left clear a path for Elijah to walk through by standing in two rows, and he stops before the space created for the ceremony. Our eyes meet for a few seconds before he turns to the crowd. “I won’t waste time on explaining what’s happening here as most of you present are already aware. But know that I won’t tolerate anyone breaking the rules. If anyone dares to say a bad word to Verena or insults her in any way, I will have your head. Rejected or not, she is s
Verena My lips part in shock. Goddess! This can’t be. The man standing there, he is my mate! I can feel it in my bones. The tall man growls, and power rolls off his muscular body as he approaches me. The people in the crowd take a step back, staring at him in shock. “Isn’t he Carlisle Cane, the Alpha of Mountain Cross Pack?” One of the ladies in the crowd asks out loud for everyone to hear, and my eyes widen. An alpha? People gasp and start talking amongst themselves. But my mind zones out, and I can only think of one thing. If Elijah is my mate, then this man being my mate can only mean one thing: my second chance mate! What kind of cruel game is this? I got rejected as someone’s second chance, only to have my own second chance mate? He approaches me and kneels on one knee. His blue eyes sparkle as they meet my green ones. Alpha Carlisle extends his hand for me to take. I want to refuse, but my body is too weak to stand on its own. So I take it, and instantly feel a spark sail
Verena Elijah shoots an intense, frosty glare at Carlisle, “Let go of her hand.” Carlisle returns his gaze with a burning look in his eyes, “You are holding what belongs to me. Let go of her!” Both of them bare their canines at each other, and the air turns thick with tension as the two Alphas challenge each other. And I am the prize. How did it come to this? I am about to speak, but Carlisle beats me to it. “Why were you even rejecting her in the first place? Doesn’t that mean you don’t want her?” he says, and Elijah turns stiff, “I can see the tears in her eyes and feel her pain. As long as I am here, I won’t let you hurt her any further. She does not deserve to be with an asshole like you.” Elijah growls in anger and pounces on Carlisle. I stumble back, and Drake comes to hold me from behind. My eyes turn wide when I see Elijah shift, his blazer ripping to shreds and his body getting covered with black fur. His wolf Rolf stands like a giant before us, his black coat glistening
Verena "It will be troublesome for her to live in a different pack with her new mate if she's still attached to this pack, don't you think?" Nixie asks, fluttering her eyes like she is the most innocent girl on the planet. My gaze shifts towards Elijah, waiting for his answer in anticipation. Will he change his mind now? There is a part of me that believes he won't. He literally fought with Carlisle to keep me here, so he definitely has a reason to not let me go. Not that I expect it's because he still has feelings for me. I would be a fool to believe that. A look of hesitation crosses Elijah's chiseled face. "That's absolutely ridiculous. This pack is her home, so there is no need to banish her." My heart skips a beat. I knew it. He wouldn't be cruel enough to kick me out of my home. Nixie's brows furrow in disappointment. She steps closer to him, and wraps her arms over his neck like a snake ensnaring its prey. "But her home is where her mate lives. Also, it's in the law that as
Verena Indistinct voices greet me as I open my eyes and find myself in bed. Drake and Dory seem to be engaged in an argument until they notice me stirring. Dory quickly rushes to the bedside table and hands me a glass of water, which I eagerly drink. Wiping my mouth, I look at them. They both wear crestfallen expressions. It's over now. He banished me, so I am left in a packhouse that no longer belongs to me. “Please don’t leave us,” Drake breaks the tense silence. He looks like a sad puppy, and it brings a smile to my face. “I don’t have a choice. How much time has passed?” “Half an hour. Since you fainted,” Dory answers. “That means I only have one and a half hours left before the effects of the banishment start to take place.” It takes two hours for the effects of the banishment to fully initiate, and once that happens, I will be forcibly thrown out of the pack by Elijah’s men. “I know that, but…” his jaw wobbles as he holds back tears. “Who will scold me when I sneak out o
ELIJAH "What the fuck is going on here?!" I growl. "My clothes are a mess, breakfast is awful, and my room is chaotic! Look at this!" I motion toward the bed. The sheets are all crumpled, and the pillows are scattered. "Don't you know how I expect my room to be?" I'm very particular about how I like things organized, especially in my room. When it's not up to my standards, it's really frustrating. Maya and the other two maids look like they're about to faint as they stand outside the room. What were they doing all this time? Don't they understand my preferences? It's only been a day since 'the incident,' and things have already gone to hell. I don't even want to think about what went down during the rejection ceremony. Just remembering it makes my stomach twist with all sorts of emotions. But there's no time to dwell because everything around me is a fucking disaster. Nixie said that she can’t do anything as she feels sick again, and is in bedrest. I turn to Maya, who's keeping
ELIJAH Flashback “You can’t even make a simple cup of black coffee?!” I shout, tossing the cup aside as if it's worthless. She served me milk coffee, but I can't stand milk in my coffee. Rena flinches at my outburst, her features painted with terror. Instantly, my anger melts into guilt. It's not her fault; I haven't told her that I don’t like milk coffee. With a sigh, I say, “I don’t like milk in my coffee.” “I know,” she replies, prompting a frown from me. “I wanted to try making milk coffee that tastes like black coffee, so I experimented with it.” My brows shoot up at her explanation. She turns to me with a pout, saying, “But you just threw it away without tasting. You could have politely asked for black coffee. Why act so rudely?” She glares at me. I'm torn between the fact that she intentionally made me something I didn't want and how cute she looks at the moment. A part of me wants to kiss her plump lips. "Why didn't you just make me black coffee if you knew what I want