The Rejection (Luna of the Pack Series)

by S. J. Hayslett

  Lincoln clapped me gently on my back and looked down at his nephew. "We'll use the Jeep to take them back to the pack house. It'll be faster." Them? I wonder, but then I remember that we have a body to bring home. I feel like such a failure as I look at her body for the first time. I will her to take a sharp intake of air and ask for the baby she so desperately wanted to meet. I'm a failure because I didn't get here in time to save her. I'm a failure.

  But what I won't do, is fail at raising our son.

  Because I can't fail.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The aches and pain coursing through my body is a brutal reminder of everything that I lost. I don't even want to open my eyes and face the harsh reality, but after a while, even that is a losing battle.

  A white ceiling is all that greets my eyes when they can finally focus on something other than the back of my eyelids. I begin to feel a slight panic when I try to move anything on my body, aside from my eyelids, but can't. My neck won't go from side to side to take in my surroundings, nor can I move any of my limbs. I try to clear my dry and scratchy throat, but the lack of saliva makes that impossible.

  Rapid beeping to my left indicates that there's a problem with my heart. Well, no shit, I wake up to being completely immobile and I have no idea what happened to my --

  Goddess! I'm pregnant. I was pregnant? Did they take yet another thing from me? Why can't I move? Am I being tortured?

  "Ahhh, you're awake!" A familiar voice calls out to me from what feels like a few feet away. "I'm so happy to see this." His scruffy voice finally comes closer and I can see it's the doc. Relief somewhat soothes me, knowing that I'm in the clinic back at Stone Forest and not some torture device that Julien and his cronies dreamed up.

  I flinch when a cup materializes in front of my face. "Here you go Luna, I'm sure your throat is parched. I'm just going to check on a few vitals, okay?" Doc holds the cup for me as I take the longest sip of the coolest water imaginable. My lips pull on the straw hard and fast, as if I can't get the refreshing liquid down my throat quick enough.

  "More water?" He asks when I'm done, and desperately slurping the cup unattractively for more.

  I nod my head yes, and say, "Please." My eye twitches with how rough my voice sounds to my ears. Almost as if it has been several days since I used my voice. I decided to test my voice out some more. "Doc, what happened to my pup? What happened? Why can't I move?" I had intended to start off with one question, but once my mouth opened, the top questions that I had just vomited out. I only vaguely remembered what happened in the cave, but most of that I was fighting just to stay conscious so focusing on the details wasn't a part of my agenda.

  A sad smile crept up on his face and I feared the worst. My eyes watered as the images I saw before I thought I had died, started to replay in my mind again. While I didn't die in that dank cave, my poor sweet baby perished. Never to be held by me ever. I wanted to turn my face away from the Doc's eyes, but still, all I could do was close my eyes and embrace the brief solitude the back of my eyelids supplied.

  "You took a lot of damage by the time we found you. You were pretty banged up externally. Internally," Doc took a deep and shuddered sigh. "Internally, was where you had us worried. As it was explained to us when we found you, there was a scuffle, and one of the females that attacked you, tried to cut your pup out of you. But without the medical knowledge of what to do, she made a mess of things. Julien was able to pull the baby out, miraculously after killing the two females. And that's when we found you.

  "Your body was having a hard time repairing itself but due to the drastic blood lost, it wasn't enough and couldn't keep up. I was able to slow the blood loss down enough with ice packs to stabilize you and give your healing ability the opportunity to repair the damage. I had a limited amount of ice packs, not nearly enough to help you out in the field, so we had to rush you back here. I found keeping you immobile helped while we were in route, so I maintained that once I had you in the clinic. Surgery was needed, but there were no complications. This just allowed for your body to start fixing elsewhere faster. Once the blood loss was completely taken care of, the ice was removed, and you've been healing on your own for a few hours now."

  "You said that Julien pulled the baby out of me? Was he, umm, is he okay?" Please let my pup be alive! Please, please, please, please let him be okay. There were only a few seconds of dead space before Doc spoke once more, but I would swear until my dying breath that I prayed that mantra a hundred times over in the length of that time.

  "The young master has his father and uncle wrapped around his little finger. He's doing fine."

  "My brother is still here?" I ask in the midst of my happiness. The last I saw of my brother was when he was leaving after a surprise visit. I'd been sad to see him go, but I was excited that he got to see his nephew.

  "Yes, he and Alpha Wesley have barely left your side throughout the whole ordeal. However, Alpha Wesley was called away from pack business, but I've alerted him that you're awake so he's probably making his way back here as we speak. And your brother has the baby. He was getting a tad bit fussy just before you woke up so Alpha Lincoln has him in the nursery. I'll tell him that you would like to see him. But first," he holds up a finger as if he just thought of something revolutionary. "Let's get you out of these braces. You don't need to be restrained anymore."

  Revolutionary indeed. I'd get to hold my baby and just revel in the miracle that he is. Born weeks early and in the middle of a violent dispute that I still didn't get what completely happened. Julien saved my baby? Did I hear Doc right? Confusion settles as I consider that Julien was part of the plot to kill me and now it turns out that he helped save me. Well maybe not me, but he definitely saved my son.

  Doc never mentioned anything about how my son reacted to being around Julien, only my brother and Thorne. Did that mean Julien was killed? Or wanted nothing to do with his biological progeny? Is he in the prisons? Did he just hand over my son to Thorne, and walk away? What happened to Julien?

  "Knock, knock," Lincoln's voice pulls me back to the present and a huge smile plants itself on my face just at the sound of his voice. But the sight before me puts an even bigger smile on my face. There's a little bundle in his arms that I'm just begging to hold and smell, and love. Not that I wasn't excited to see my brother of course, I just needed to meet the boy who captured my heart before I even knew him.

  "Lincoln!"

  "Hey baby girl. I have someone I know you're anxious to meet." Lincoln expertly slips my baby boy in to my arms. Supporting his head with one arm, I move the blanket to the side and take in my son for the first time.

  I. Am. In. Awe.

  He's beyond perfect. I can see the combination between Julien and I, but in all honesty, he looks more like me than Julien. His eyes are an interesting blue green color that is almost disturbingly vibrant against his slightly brown skin. I hold him up towards my face a little so that I could plant a kiss on his forehead.

  "Doc said he's healthy, is that true?"

  Lincoln chuckles and nods his head in the affirmative. "Yes. Doc gave him a full checkup once we got back here. He's also got a healthy set of lungs to keep you up at night. He's an awesome little boy though. Eats like a champ."

  "What have they been feeding him?"

  "The nurses used one of those pumps on you. You know what? I'm not talking about this with you. Next subject." Lincoln looked bashful and embarrassed to be talking about my breasts. I guess it wouldn't be easy for him to see me has a woman with breasts and a child that feeds from them. On the other hand, I'm glad that they were able to get my son to drink my breastmilk and not a formula. Now that I'm awake, I hope there won't be a problem with latching on.

  "Did Thorne name him?" I ask while tracing a finger along his hairline. His hair are soft curls that I don't ever want to cut or destroy.

  "No, he was waiting on you. He thought it was something that he shouldn't take from you. Do you have a name picked out?"

 
; A small crooked smile curls up my mouth as I continue to take in my little miracle, and nod my head. The name was something I was facilitating back and forth with, but knowing what I know now about my rescue, I was convinced that the name I'd chosen was perfect. Even now, I haven't taken my eyes off of the little one since he entered the room, and the name just fits.

  "So, what is it?" Lincoln asks impatiently.

  "I'll tell you later. I want Thorne to hear it first. Ideally, I would tell you at the same time." I finally lift my eyes from my son that closed his eyes minutes ago and has fallen asleep for the first time in my arms. It was a moment I'd been dreaming about for weeks and I didn't fight the tear that prickled down my cheeks. It was a cherished moment for me that I almost didn't have.

  "What happened, Linc?"

  Lincoln was sitting in the only chair in my room but there's no mistaking the tired sigh that slips out. "We don't know what happened. Whether he was working with Natasha and Brittany and, turned on them or what. For whatever reason, he killed them and saved the baby. He thought you were gone though. By the time we got there, he was resolved that he lost you and that Thorne was going to raise him. Julien just handed the baby over. We were ready to have him restrained so we could place him in the prison, but at some point, he used the distraction of making sure you and the pup were okay to escape. Thorne sent trackers after him they can't seem to find his scent. I think he's long gone though."

  "Is he going to be a problem?"

  "I don't think so, I-"

  "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt." A nurse walks in that I don't recognize, but she seems familiar to Linc, so I relax a little. "I just came to collect our newest member of Stone Forest. Hello Luna Kairi, I'm Amy your, resident nurse for this shift. If you need anything, just buzz me at extension 1190." Amy begins writing her information on the whiteboard that's mounted on the wall. I was very glad that she also wrote the extension for the nursery where she would be taking my son.

  "I see you got little man asleep. He'll probably be awake and ready for another feeding in a couple of hours. If you're resting, would you like to be awakened for the feeding, or would you like us to use some of the breastmilk that we already pumped for you while you were sleep?" I was a little taken aback with how casual she just mentioned about pumping me while I was down for the count. Not that I was upset by it. I much preferred that I was pumped unconsciously over the alternative that he was given formula.

  "If I'm asleep, I would like for someone to wake me up, please." I had no intention of sleeping though. I wanted to be awake to see Thorne. It was good to see Lincoln again, considering I thought I wouldn't see anyone ever when I was in that cave. But for some reason, it feels like I need assurance from just Thorne's presence that I was okay. Mentally, I chuckle that at some point in my journey, I no longer depended on Lincoln to be the strongest man in my life.

  "Alright, excellent. If you like, Luna, you may turn to channel 33 on the television. It's the closed-circuit channel for the nursery. You'll be able to watch over him there while you're in here." My baby was gently taken as to not disturb his slumber and placed in a rolling crib. She started moving towards the door when she turned back to me, "I'll be back with him when he wakes up for his feeding. If you need anything, page me."

  I nod my head and she's out the room. I turn the television on and sure enough on channel 33, I see Nurse Amy arrive to the nursery a minute later. She places my son in a more permanent crib. After bundling a blanket around him, she rolls the transporting crib out of the screen and checks on the other pups in the room. I'm content just watching my little miracle though and I don't remove my eyes from his little frame.

  "Kai, I'm gonna go ahead and go. I miss my mate. Oh, Val said she's glad you're okay and can't wait to meet her first nephew. You sure you can't tell me his name? It feels weird just referring to him as a baby. I promise I won't tell your mate, and I'm leaving anyway. Pleeeeaaaassse?" I don't think I've ever seen my brother beg for anything and I let him grovel for a little bit longer before I put him out of his misery.

  "Fine, I'll whisper it to you." I tell Lincoln in his ear the name that I was leaning towards, along with the reasoning behind the name choice. And judging by Lincoln's reaction, I am convinced that I chose the right name for my son. His mouth was open as if he was attempting to catch flies in his huge maw. Lincoln tries to wipe a tear from his eye before I catch it, but he's not fast enough. If this wasn't such a tender moment, I would crack a joke to release the emotions that we're both feeling.

  "That's, wow! Thorne will love it. I'm proud of you sis." Linc shifts his legs closer to me so that he can bend over and give me a kiss on my forehead. "I'll give you a call when I get back. I'm glad you're safe Kai, now get some rest."

  "I love you too Linc, and I will." And it's true. While I would love to stay awake for Thorne to get to the hospital room, I know there's no telling how long he'll be. Plus, my eyes were already drooping despite just waking up from a mini coma. I would think that I should feel refreshed after just waking up from however many hours I was sleep. Yet, thinking about it, I didn't have the most pleasant experience in regard to sleeping either.

  "Alright, I'm out." My brother bangs on the wall by the door and doesn't look back for anything else before he too leaves me alone. With no one to speak to and nothing to do, I watch the closed-circuit channel until I feel my eyes drifting shut.

  My lids couldn't have been closed for more than seven or ten minutes, when I hear the door creep open and a hushed voice.

  "Finally. I thought they would never leave you alone."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The door closed behind the speaker. And while I couldn't tell who it was when they whispered, when I turned my head to look at the latest visitor, fear struck me instantly.

  "I bet you can't even begin to imagine the joy I felt when someone announced through the mind link that you were missing. And not just missing, taken. The thought that someone dared take the precious Luna of Stone forest was unbelievable, that the entire pack went into a panic. But me? I was ecstatic. With you gone, Wesley would need to grieve and mourn, and I could provide that shoulder for him. And yet, here you are, like a cockroach."

  "You slept with his father, Thorne won't let you anywhere near him." I growl out.

  "Grief will drive you to do things you wouldn't normally do. I'd have to let him actually grieve and mourn you. It's a small price to pay, but before long, he'll stop crying for you and I'll have him crying out my name." Vanessa moves deeper into the room as I press the call button for the nurses, but no one has rushed into the room. "There's no need to try to do that on the sly. I was in here earlier while you were still sleep and disconnected the button. I wanted to take you out then, but,"

  "But you wanted to gloat about how you bested me. I pray that will be your downfall.” I mentally readied myself for whatever attack she had planned for me. Which is why I am shocked when she takes a needle from behind her back. Instead of lunging for me, Vanessa jabs the syringe in the IV that's attached to my arm by a thin tube. She presses on the plunger of empty air into the drip and I quickly try to rip the lead from my arm. Anticipating that move, Vanessa's other hand grabs my arm, covering the IV and any attempt I had of keeping an air bubble from my system. Our natural healing abilities helped us overcome a slew of injuries, but I had no idea if it would correct something like an air embolism. And there is no way I wanted to put that theory to the test.

  Vanessa opened the IV bag so that the drip was going faster than necessary, pushing the air bubble closer to my body. Despite my non-existent energy, I continue to struggle against Vanessa's grip on my arm. "Struggle all you want, you're still going to die in this bed. And everyone will just assume that you had a seizure as a result of someone changing your iv bag incorrectly." I panic as the bubble disappears into my arm. My hand finds the bed remote and I begin to press buttons, anything that can help me out. The bed accidentally begins to move, with my feet elevated and the head of
the bed going down to almost a forty-five-degree angle.

  "Give me that remote!" Vanessa angrily yells at me and removes her hands to reach for the remote. I guess being at such an unnatural position would really put a damper in her cover story for my death. However, her hands were no longer on me, so that was a major plus for keeping the remote from her hands. Unfortunately, for me though the extra weight of her reaching over my form to get the remote causes the bed to tip over.

  I don't mean to tense up when I anticipate the crashing on top of the floor, though I am glad I had the sense to protect my head as I went down. Not only is the linoleum flooring hard when I crash, but the metal and plastic frame of the clinic bed is on top of me. I groan my aches and pain from the cave ordeal, and of course the ones I just earned thanks in part to the sudden fall are already screaming out to me. Each movement means more discomfort for me, but I have a psycho bitch after me and I don't have time to lick my wounds. Just feel every single one of them.