001: Rejected

"Run, Bee,” A voice echoed through her head as she tore through the woods, her little feet bare and aching, dashing against stones. “Run as fast as you can. Do not look back, do not stop, do not worry. I will find you soon,"

She could see him in her mind’s eye. An old man standing at the edge of the forest, holding up a silver moon necklace that gleamed in the dark night. 

“Run Bee!”

And she ran. 

For hours until her feet couldn’t take any more. She ran until her knees grew feeble. Until the trees morphed into cackling shadows around her, mocking the poor little girl lost in the forest. Bee fell to her knees, clamped her eyes shut, terrified to be all alone. The old man had promised to come. He would come with his shining necklace and all the dark shadows would be gone. And so she curled up on shrub covered ground and waited. 

But he never came. 

Isabella’s eyes flashed open to see a gleaming white ceiling staring down rather boringly at her. She had the weird dream again. That was the third time in the past week. Hell she was certain she knew every single detail of that dream by heart and they all had the same ending. 

Darkness. 

Sighing deeply, she turned on her side, staring at her opened window. A rather familiar scent tickled at her nose and she chuckled. 

“Feels good to be eighteen,” She purred, stretching her limbs in satisfaction.

Oh she could feel it already. Her heightened senses, The several scents of the teeming mass of werewolves that littered the mansion. Life in Crescent Park had been a rollercoaster for as long as Isabella could remember. Each day had its own drama, aura, and challenges. And that day was no different.

Except that the mansion was in a frenzy because of her and her alone. 

Isabella had never been one to make a big deal out of birthday, but this was her eighteenth birthday. A year special to all werewolf females. She finally had the chance to evolve to her fullest potential, meet her other half bestowed upon her by the moon goddess- a stronger version of herself- Her wolf. 

“No one is as excited as I am!” She squealed, launching herself off her bed. Beyond the doors of her room, she heard people’s laughter and a musician playing on his bard. Swirling to the tunes, she watched herself in her full length mirror, giggling. Her hair, a luxurious copper brown that dipped down to her waist, swished with the cotton shirt she wore. Her hazel eyes gleamed happily and her pale ivory skin caught the sunlight that filtered in through the windows.

Still humming to the tunes of the music, Isabella danced her way to the bathroom, had a very satisfying long and hot shower and then made her way down the halls to the dining room in her best dress. Her maid, Ann had picked out the dress; a pretty silver dress that draped against her wild curves. Its neckline was a subtle sweetheart that hinted at her full bosom. Gleaming opal beads lined her waist and hips, winking with each step she took and Isabella utterly loved it. 

"Do you think that he will be here for the party?” 

Isabella paused in her tracks when hushed voices reached her ears. Listening intently, she followed the sound to see two maids in a room muttering to themselves while glaring at someone else. 

"He dares not!” One of the maids replied. “Ugh, it is the lady's eighteenth birthday. We cannot allow him to soil the air with his cursed soul,"

Isabella frowned and glanced around the room to see Sean, the Alpha, seated in the corner of the room. His eyes, a cerulean blue that reminded her of the ocean, were fixed blankly on the book in his hands. His dark locks were tousled, a few strands falling over his face, casting a rather edgy shadow on it. She knew he was pretending not to hear their hurtful words and it irritated and broke her heart to see him go through that torment daily. 

Clearing her throat, Isabella stepped into the room, and the two maids straightened immediately with a guilty expression etched on their annoying faces. 

"If you two do not have anything better to do with your time, how about you pack your bags and head home?" she said with a sadistic smile. 

"We are sorry, Lady Isabella," they mumbled in unison.

She arched a brow at their petulance. "Are you now? The audacity you two have, gossiping about the Alpha right to his face. What gave you the right and boldness to voice out your stupid opinions before him?"

Their gazes went to the floor, and they bowed to her again.

"We are sorry, Mi lady."

"Apologize to Sean, now." She ordered. 

They reluctantly turned to Sean, who paid them no heed. 

"We are sorry, Alpha Sean,"  

"You may leave. Bear this in mind however, the next time I witness such nonsense, I will cut your stupid tongues off and feed them to you. Understood?" 

They nodded and rushed out of the room. She watched them scurry out and the minute they closed the door, Isabella's face broke into a huge grin as she strutted towards Sean.

"Pretty badass, huh?"

Sean closed the book in his hand and placed it on the table, rolling his eyes in amusement. 

"You did not have to do that," He signed with his hand, his expression as hard as stone. "I pretend they are not here, and when they are tired, they leave. When it's happened for twenty four years, you get used to it." 

Isabella scoffed, drawing closer to him. Her hands reached out on a whim to pick at his hair. "That does not make it okay. You are the rightful Alpha of the pack. Rejecting and neglecting you because of a natural condition is total bullshit."

"Well, that is how it is," Sean replied, closing his eyes briefly as her hands played with his hair. When his eyes opened, they had warmed into a soft gaze as he motioned with his fingers and hands. "Don't get yourself in trouble for the tiger."

"Oh, come on," She teased,leaning to place a kiss on his smooth jaw. "What would you ever do without me, Sean?"

He glared at her, pushing her away from him playfully. "Get out."

Isabella laughed, the sound soft and vibrant as she waved at him. "Yeah yeah, Now, I'll be expecting my birthday gift before noon. What I haven't heard from you though, is what you think about this dress."

He shook his head and made a shooing motion at her. Laughing, she opened the door to step out but stopped in her tracks when she saw Damian, Sean's younger brother, staring at her with a disapproving glare. He was a stark contrast from his brother with his golden blonde hair and green eyes. 

"What are you doing in there with him?" His face twisted in disgust, and she rolled her eyes.

"Since when do I have to explain myself to you, Damian?" She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Sean drew closer, his eyes wary as he peeked through the door behind her. 

"You know you should be avoiding him, or his curse could somehow bring you bad luck," he whispered.

Isabella's lips curled in a sneer. Really? How daft could everyone be? 

"Damian, Sean is your older brother and the next Alpha of this pack. It is pretty low of you to be saying bad things about him."

"I do not care." Damian replied snottily, "A cursed werewolf cannot lead a pack, so he is not our Alpha. I wish he had just gone rogue instead of lurking around this place, poisoning the atmosphere with his bad luck."

Isabella shook her head, not totally surprised. She had gone through this enough to know that trying to get the idiot to reason was futile. 

"GO. TO HELL, DAMIAN," she hissed and walked away.

The rest of the day went by in a rapid blur. By six in the evening, her cheeks hurt from smiling and welcoming party guests from within the pack, her legs hurt from rushing to settle everyone in rooms and attending to the catering. 

All exhaustion faded away when she freshened up for the dinner party. 

"Oh my, Alice, isn't this pretty?" She sighed, staring at the white ball gown, decorated with pearls. She felt strong, more alive, and definitely like a princess.

"It is Milady," Alice, her personal maid replied with a bright grin. "We must hurry though. It's almost time for the bonfire and everyone is waiting for you. You are so fortunate and truly blessed by the moon goddess Milady, it's a full moon!"

Isabella grinned and nodded. "True. I get to celebrate my birthday and the full moon. And meet my wolf and…"

Mate!

Isabella shuddered at the thought. She wasn't ready for that now. She was more concerned with getting stronger. 

With a deep sigh, she gathered her gown in her hand and walked down the hallway to the ballroom, with her maid towing behind her. 

The ballroom was lit with beautiful ornaments hanging from the ceiling. They cast an ethereal glow on her as she descended the stairs while the Herald announced her presence. 

"The Lady, Isabella Morgana!" 

The noise and chatter in the room died down as everyone turned to look at her.

Feeling a little bit uncomfortable at being the center of attention, Isabella walked down the stairs slowly, struggling to keep the smile on her face. The nervousness eased when Alpha and Luna swarmed over to her side. 

"Oh, my dear, you look so adorable," Luna gushed,cradling Isabella's face in her hands. 

"Really?" Isabella mumbled, her face turning bright red. 

"Yes Isa. You look like a goddess." The Alpha grinned at her. 

Taking a step away from them, she curtsied, "Thank you so much, Alpha Alexandro, and Luna Yvonne, for taking care of me all these years. For accepting me into your home and treating me like a daughter. I will forever remain indebted to the two of you."

"Awwwn," Luna cooed and giggled, clapping her hands with glee. "You are so sweet. You have filled our lives with so much radiance and joy, Isabella, and we love you. Happy birthday. I really hope you find your mate tonight."

Isabella chuckled nervously. 

"I hope not." She mumbled, looking around the hall subtly, trying to see if Sean was lurking around the corners somewhere. But he hated noisy places. Her shoulders sagged at the realization. 

"Come, I'll introduce you to some of my guests," the Alpha said, leading her further into the ball room. 

They approached a table where four men were deeply engrossed in their conversation and the Alpha cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the birthday woman, my ward - Lady Isabella."

They rose up, and Isabella bowed in greeting. Three out of the men nodded in acknowledgement, while the last stared at her, wide eyed and open mouthed like he had just seen a ghost.

"Garry!" Alpha Alexandro barked and the man jumped, coming back to his senses.

"Oh, please forgive my manners. Happy birthday, Lady Isabella. I… uhm… you look very beautiful" he mumbled, his face bright red in embarrassment.

"Thank you," she giggled and continued when Alpha Alexandro steered her away from them. "That was unexpected." 

"Oh please. You are a fine young lady. I'll bet he's dying to be your mate." The Alpha teased.

The party went on for a few hours, with dances and conversations, and when it was midnight, They all went out for the bonfire under the full moon. 

Isabella took a deep breath, watching the fire burn hot and wild towards the sky. Her first full moon bonfire, and she was nervous as hell. Would she really find her mate? She wondered as she watched a few male werewolves encircling some females, growling and sniffing at them. They were embracing the scents of their new mates.

The first couple launched into each other's arms and left together. Then the next. A few more followed and in a blink, all eyes were fixed on her. 

Ah shit! Dear Moon Goddess, not now. 

She jumped, startled, when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see- Damian?

Oh, No! Please No. 

His eyes changed from its piercing green color to a bright gold as he locked eyes with her, nostrils flaring.

Her body grew hot, burning with the flames that his scent invoked in her, teasing her, enveloping her like a drug. Her thighs clenched, her body arched, eager to reach through the space between them and hold on to him. 

Cheers erupted all around them, and beneath the loud pounding of her heart, she heard Luna screaming, "Oh My Goddess. Thank you for answering my prayers."

Transfixed, Isabella stared into Damian's eyes until they turned green. Then he shook his head rapidly, coming back to his senses, and staggered away from her, his eyes filled with rage.

"No, no, no," Damian whispered.

"What's wrong, Damian?" Alpha Alexandro asked.

"This cannot happen," He bellowed, green eyes glaring down at Isabella. "I, Damian Alexandro of the Crescent Park, reject you as my mate, Lady Isabella Morgana."