The Rejection (Luna of the Pack Series)

by S. J. Hayslett

  So, I weep for the love of my child, wishing that our deaths wouldn't be as painful as it was, both physically and emotionally. I wish that I could have brought my child in this world, to know and meet everyone that I would tell them about: his overprotective Uncle Linc, and sweet Aunt Val. He'd never meet the man who would have loved him as his own. The missed opportunities of seeing Thorne train our son to lead and be a strong but compassionate man, tears me apart.

  I don't want to leave Thorne behind. Oh God! I can't leave him behind. I still can't even feel our bond thanks to the wolfsbane still in my system. We're going to die in some dank cave surrounded by people who could care less that we're slipping away. With each salty tear that fell from my eyes, it wasn't my life that flashed. It was a life that is being denied to me, the one that I nor my little one would get to live.

  "Is it true?" Julien's gravelly voice calls out to me.

  My eyelids slowly open up as I try to piece together what Julien is asking me. I'm about to answer him when another wave of pain in my abdomen prevents me from answering right away. I cry out and groan, the pain is beyond unbearable at this point.

  "You know It's true. You felt it when we had sex, that I was a virgin. And until the night that I marked Thorne, I haven't had sex. You would have felt it, just like I felt every time you were with her. So far, you've fallen, that you allow this bitch to kill your only child. So pathetic."

  My eyes start to close again, but the way the cold is rapidly setting throughout my body, I'm afraid that this will be the last time they'll ever close.

  "I love you Wesley Thorne, with everything I have," I quietly send out through a bond that's no longer there. The voices of my three captors sound faraway, or underwater as I begin to slip away. I don't feel the pain, and I also can't feel my baby moving around. Is he already dead? Will he be waiting for me with the moon goddess? Suddenly, the thought of holding my pup while looking over our loved ones doesn't seem so bad, and I can't wait for an eternity with him. And maybe even my parents again. Maybe death isn't the worst thing in the world?

  I feel relaxed, and in a state of complete disconnect. Darkness fades to light as I imagine the moons light beams reaching out to me. A loud shout, "NO!" calls out and I briefly look behind me, as if I could suddenly see what is going on in the land of the living. But there's nothing for me there. Only thoughts of my parents and my pup consume me, and I move closer to the light.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  There's always work to be done as an Alpha, but the rest of the emails and paperwork can wait. Giving the she-wolf that I've chosen as my mate was my main concern of the day. And so far, I seem to be a master of keeping my girl happy.

  I'm happy that I was able to get away with surprising Kairi with an impromptu visit with her brother. I'm also happy the paternity of MJ was solved. Even though I spent all this time excited that I may have my own child out there, I was also angry that it would have been with someone I had no love for. And it didn't matter to me that Kairi said that she would help me co-parent with Vanessa, in the back of my mind, I knew having anything to do with Vanessa would have made me miserable.

  I also wasn't bothered by the fact that Kairi was bringing a child into this world that wasn't mine. There was plenty of time in the future for us to have our own. She is just so compatible to me in every sense, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Definitely physically.

  After leaving her in my office with her brother, I head upstairs to our room to finish setting up for the rest of my surprise for her. Since Kairi seduced me first, I wasn't able to carry out the plan that I had in mind that night but wanted to do it now. I had some of my guys move all of the furniture in the living area pushed against the wall or cleared out into a spare bedroom. A huge six-person tent was sitting in the middle of the room with a king-sized air mattress inside with plenty of room to spare for the both of us. A small indoors fire pit was set up for s'mores, with the ingredients to the side. I also had a huge bag of her favorite Reese's Pieces and an order for a fresh batch of popcorn to arrive just as we started the movie. Kairi once told me that the combination of the peanut butter candies and popcorn was her favorite movie time snack. Next to the fire pit, there's also a bed of pillows and blankets that we can watch the movie comfortably. I also included her body pillow that she loves so much. I had planned on us watching The Princess Bride and possibly Magic Mike, though I was praying that neither of us would make it past the first movie.

  I was just about to freshen up when a surge of panic seized me. I felt the mark that my beautiful Kai had given me in passion and knew that she was in trouble. I ran out of the room and slammed down the steps when her voice called out to me, "Thorne. Help me, outside."

  Her voice sounded so weak as it was, and I hurried as fast as I could to her. I bust the screen door off the hinges running full speed out the door. The first thing I notice is the empty spot where Lincoln's truck was sitting.

  "Front gate, did Alpha Samuels leave yet?" I ask through the mind link. There is no reason to think that he would take her from me, every time we've talked in recent weeks, he's always found some way to thank me for what I've done for his sister.

  "He's approaching the gate now."

  "Tell him to turn back, there's a problem with Luna Kairi." I try to catch a scent, and there's something familiar about it, but I can't place it. Hers is very distinct, but it's fading quickly beneath whoever took her. "You're Luna is missing. I need patrols to be on the lookout for anyone who may have taken her. Jackson, meet me in front of the pack house, and bring the Doc." I bark through the mind link to the entire pack. There is no option, we need to find her. I need to find her.

  Jackson arrives by my side with the pack doctor, seconds before I can hear the grumbling sound of Lincoln's truck barreling back down the driveway.

  "Where is she?" Lincoln cries out, barely shutting the vehicle off as he jumps out from behind the wheel.

  "Did you see anything when you pulled away?" I ask while shaking my head in answer to his question. I recognize the panic in his face because I feel the same electricity conducting throughout my entire being as well.

  "No, she waved until I couldn't see her anymore. I assumed she was going to go back in."

  "Smell anything familiar? Jackson," I turn to my beta. "Get our best trackers follow this where it goes. It's been a few minutes now since Kairi's distress call. I try every second I get to reach out to her, but I can't feel the bond.

  "Come on baby, speak to me. I'll find you, just hang in there," I whisper to myself, willing my words to give her some hope and comfort. But I know the words are empty, not of promise, I'll move mountains trying to find her. They were empty because they didn't reach her.

  "I can't wait for the trackers to find the trail, I'm gonna go after it myself," I begin stripping my clothes, caring only to make sure I thrown them far away from the scent so that it doesn't get muddied. "Doc with me," I wanted to make sure he was one of the first ones to check Kairi out when we found her.

  "I'm going to kill her!" Lincoln growls out and starts stripping his clothes as well. More like ripping the fabric from his body. "That's Natasha, and if I'm not mistaken, her cousin Brittany."

  The name Brittany rings a bell. My brow lowers as I remember that was the name of the she-wolf that Kairi banished expertly while we were in charge of Willow Haven while Lincoln went to find his mate. It was obvious to me that neither of these two pathetic excuses of she-wolves were going to die today.

  The Doc keeps up in my wolf form as I take off running. The snout of my wolf seeks out traces of the bitches' scents as if his life depended on it. And technically it does. There's no telling how the bond would react if Kairi was to leave us. Sometimes partners will die of a broken heart when they're mate passes; similar to what happened with Kairi's parents. Others go mad and either go comatose or go rogue. Neither of those are options for me, which leaves me with little choice, except that I have to find her.

  Both thin and thi
ck branches whip at my fur, sometimes tearing my covering but I don't feel the pain. Can't focus on anything but finding Kairi. She's all I care about. Her and the baby. They're my sole focus.

  "Cave," Kairi's voice breaks through in the mind link just as I come to a fork in the scents. The stronger scents that we were following that belonged to Natasha and Brittany split up. Natasha has gone in one direction while Brittany goes into another. We sniff the area making sure that Natasha doesn't double back and meet up with Brittany, or vice versa. Kairi's scent is almost gone, completely masked by the two females who seemed to have taken care to mask her scent, but not their own. The trackers split up themselves and follow the trail further up ahead.

  They're playing a shell game with my mate and I couldn't wait for the moment that I ended them.

  We're still currently on my territory and other than the cave system that was a part of the pack house there weren't any other caves on the property. At least not that I'm aware of. My heart and mind can't even process that could mean that Kairi is no longer in my territory.

  "Alphas, the scent stops up ahead," Robin one of my tracker’s reports. She was on the team that followed Brittany's scent. "We think there was a vehicle of some sort waiting, but we can't catch a scent."

  I punch the nearest tree in frustration. It doesn't fall, but there is definite damage to the bark and my knuckles. I welcome the pain and the tingling sensation of my healing abilities.

  With the addition of a vehicle, that could have been out here in the forest, Kairi's captors could have taken her anywhere in a short amount of time. I'm just glad that I've made it this far, only because we marked each other earlier than we planned. I'll be even happier when I have Kairi safe in my arms.

  "Are there any caves in the area?" I ask shifting back to my two-legged form. I have nothing else to go on except Kai's thin plea about a cave.

  Jackson looks at me and shakes his head still in his wolf form. Even the Doc is shrugging his shoulders. Lincoln, however, forces the shift to speak with me and I pray that the first words out of his mouth are something I can hang hope on.

  "Actually, the hotel site. On my side of the property that I loaned for the project. The construction crew just sent word this morning that there was a cave that was found and needed to be investigated before moving forward. I shared the report with you as soon as I got it. Do you think that's where Kairi is?"

  I'm not sure if I want to give them false hope and tell them that Kairi was able to let me know about a cave. I also don't want to head over to one cave and find out that I'm too late because I should have been at a different cave. I also realize that this is the most indecisive that I've been. But it's hard when I feel the pounding of my own heart along with the panic and despair that Kairi is feeling. Though, I'm definitely not going to admit to Lincoln that our bond is getting weaker and weaker by the minute.

  I don't even want to acknowledge that.

  I. Just. Can't.

  "Let's go. You three," I say pointing to three of my trackers that were with us. "You follow this trail and see where it leads. We're going the opposite way to the hotel dig. Let me know if you find anything. And if the trail ends, meet us back at the site." A single nod is all I get from my demand before my faithful run off in search for the wolves that took our Luna.

  Not wanting to lose any momentum, I start running mid shift and when my paws find traction upon the soft, moist earth. I don't wait for anyone to follow me, even though I hear the bones cracking, signifying the shift of a wolf, probably of Lincoln and Jackson.

  The muscles in my legs burn as I push myself harder than I've ever ran on patrol before. 'No,' I cry out in my head when I feel my heart skipping beat after beat when I see that we're closing the distance on a Jeep that's parked up ahead.

  The moment I crash through the clearing, I'm hit with Kairi's scent. For just one moment, just that one split second, everything feels like it'll be okay. As long as I can keep her scent in my nostrils, everything will be fine, and Kairi will be in my arms again. "Hold on baby girl," I whisper to my girl. I just need her to hang in there for just a little bit longer. I wish I could reach out to her, but there's something blocking me from doing so.

  The goddess couldn't have been cruel enough to give me someone as kind-hearted and loving as Kairi, only to just snatch her from me. No, I don't believe it.

  Voices are rising from the mouth of the cave that looms about thirty feet from where the Jeep is parked haphazardly. I growl when I smell another scent that is on the top note over my Kairi. 'Julien,' I growl out.

  "I smell him too," Lincoln's voice startles me from behind. I didn't even notice that he had shifted back to his two-legged form. "We'll get the sonofabitch. Let's move in nice and slow so they don’t hear us. Sound will bounce off the rock and they’ll know we're coming."

  I nod my head in agreement and start padding the way as a wolf. I can only assume we're making good headway in the system. The darkness that engulfs us is almost suffocating. My tail twitches as Doc grabs a hold of it as I lead the way. From my peripheral, I see Lincoln holding onto Jackson's tail in the same manner. The voices, thank the goddess, are getting closer. Well, at the very least they're getting louder, it's hard to tell since there is running water coming from deep within the cave and the rock was conducting sound.

  "I love you Wesley Thorne. With everything that I have," Kairi's fading words snap me back to attention and I take off running. Forget sneaking up on the bastards who took my life, my queen, my Luna. I need to be there for her. I leave everyone behind, except the doc, he hangs on, but barely, as I make my way around each bend of the cave.

  Someone up ahead yells a loud but stressed 'no,' and it sounded too deep to be either of the two spoiled she-wolves. The very last turn within the cavern, I see blood and carnage. I register that the idiot child Brittany is dead, and Natasha looks badly injured but immobile. I see red and rage when Kairi's bloodied and way too still body comes into focus and Julien is kneeling beside her.

  "He has my dimples," Julien says with his back still towards me. I want to rip him apart for holding my child. I don’t care whose DNA he possessed, he was always going to be mine. I should be holding him, but I also want to run to Kai. The indecision tears me apart and leaves me standing in one spot. Luckily, the doc knows what to do and rushes forward to Kairi who's still on the ground. He's pulling out packs and tools from his massive bag of medical supplies, hopefully allowing him to bring Kairi back to me.

  'It can't end like this.'

  "My sister?" Lincoln asks when he comes up behind me. Julien finally turns around and looks at his former Alpha with tears in his eyes. I can't watch the salty drops fall from his eyes, so instead I watch the little bundle squirming in his arms.

  "I'm sorry," Julien whispers but Lincoln doesn't accept his apology. Pushing him out of the way, while simultaneously making a grab for his nephew.

  "She can't be gone," I utter in despair and grief.

  "Give him to me," the doctor gently takes the baby, my son, from Lincoln's hands to start cleaning him up. I'm in stunned silence as I watch him work, making sure his airways are clear and the cord is cut. His fierce and tiny cries fill the cavern and suddenly my feet move. But not towards my boy.

  "You killed her! Why?" I shove my fist into Julien's cheekbone, only one hit though. Jackson and Lincoln work hard at holding me back from doing another hit.

  For his credit, Julien didn't attempt to fight back, nor did he yell out when his back fell against the rock wall. His eyes conveyed what he felt. Sorry. Yeah, he definitely was sorry. A sorry excuse for a wolf. But sorry wasn't going to cut it. Not now or ever. He had a hand in her death and I'll see him rot in my prisons for the rest of his miserable life if I had to.

  "Easy, cousin," Jackson whispers in my ear. "You have a son that needs you right now." Julien looks pointedly at Jackson after his words cut deep. There's also a moment, a brief flash, of dejection that flits across his face before he's able to shut his em
otion down.

  'I wish I could shut my emotions down like that right now.' This is just too much to feel at once. Yet at the same time, I want all of my emotions. Without them, I wouldn’t enjoy the moment of holding my son for the first time. I look back to where he is, Doc wrapping his little body in a shirt someone must have handed to him.

  "I'll need to take a closer look at him when we get back. But other than that, you have a healthy baby boy. Doc eases him into my arms, making me support his head. "We need to hurry up and get to my clinic quick, he's going to need to eat soon. I'm surprised he's not hungry now."

  I look down at the sleeping baby in my arms. Everything about him, reminds me of his mom. I can't see the eye color because his are obviously closed. But everything else looks like Kairi.