Chapter Two

(Riley's POV)

Growing up, there are so many stories I hear about rejections, the pain that comes with it, and then the sense of loss, like something was missing. I knew what was coming, and I was prepared, even as I said the words.

"I, Riley Kaidon, accept your rejection," I respond, and that gave him a pause. Of course, he doesn't expect me to accept his rejection so easily; every female is dying to be the Alpha's mate, and I had been one of them till I discovered that he wasn't as charming as my thoughts had painted him to be.

I felt the pain, just as I had anticipated. It's a different kind of pain, one that is deep within, but what I do not feel is the loss.

How could you lose what you never had?

It was over. All my dreams of finding a mate had all come to nothing. I was given the monster as a mate, and he had used me, taken from me, only to dump me like trash. I couldn't stay in this pack any longer; I had to leave.

"Banish me also from this pack; I no longer see the use of remaining."

"Oh no, Riley. I want you here, by my side."

"Zara had taken up that duty."

"I want you to be something quite different."

"A sex toy?" I questioned as that had been my only use to him earlier before he found a new toy.

"More like a pet, but you can call it that."

"I refuse to bring myself down to that level." I said, looking him in the eyes. He had said it straight to my face that he wanted me as a pet. There really was no boundaries to his cruelty.

"Did you really think there is anyone out there who would really want you? After everything?, don't flatter yourself; you are quite an average."

"That's not what you said when we were in bed." I reminded him, refusing to let him see how hurt I was.

"Others would be proud to even have such a position, but you ungrateful girl."

"I would leave this pack, whether you want it or not, with due respect, of course, Alpha," I sneered out.

The pain in my chest had built up to the point where I felt completely numb.

"That's not going to be a very nice thing to do, seeing as your mother cannot go with you," he says, and everything seems to slow down.

How could I have forgotten?

My mother had been nothing but a slave, treated as dirt. Ryker is the only reason she was not in other 'worst' places; how could I have forgotten that so easily?

My heart pounded now, fast. How didn't I think of my mother and what Ryker could do to her, especially when I was gone?

"Leave my mother out of this."

"No, dear, that I cannot do. As you know, she has ten years left to serve as a slave. So many things can happen in ten years. She could be placed in other positions; she might be an old hag, but I'm sure the male pack soldiers could find a use for her. When they are done with her, she will beg for death. But if you stay, I could do you the favor of letting her remain in her current position, so what do you say?"

I wiped off the tears. This had been one of the reasons I had hung on to Ryker, too slow to let him go. I knew if I was mated to him, then my mother would be free. This was what she had wanted for the most part of her life, what she had dreamt of. I had wanted her to be finally free, but that would only be another wish left pending.

"I'll stay, but I refused to be used by you, Ryker."

"We would see about that, and it's no longer Ryker to you; we are no longer mates, remember? It's Alpha now, and I really hope you don't slip on that again." He says, but the smirk on his face tells me his hoping her I slip, just so he could punish me.

I wouldn't let him see me weak; I would hold in my tears, till when I was alone, crying in front of him would only show him how much he hurt me, it would only show him that he won and I... lost; That would be boosting his already extremely large ego. I wiped away my tears; that would be the last time I would ever cry before him.

"Good," he muttered. "Now I need you to come to the intra-mating ball celebration with me," he says.

"You are to attend the upcoming ball with your luna, Zara; what do you need me there for?"

"You will be there. I want you to watch as I announce to the whole crowd that she is my mate. I want you to watch me kiss and touch her just as I did you, but she... she would be the Luna. I want you to watch as she takes your place.

At least I told you early enough to prepare. When the day comes don't you dare be late. Also, I would send your mother in to help you pick something presentable for the occasion. I am sure you have something other than rags in there somewhere" he said before walking away, right through the door he came through, back to Zara, his mate.

The mate ball was in two weeks, I didn't need to pick out a dress yet, but I did need my mother by my side right now.

He hadn't cared about the fact that I just lost a baby and needed medication; he didn't care one bit. If I wasn't wrong, I believed he loved hurting me; he was a sick, twisted person who attained satisfaction in hurting others.

A few minutes later, my mother walked in, and I ran into her arms, letting myself become a child again. I cried in her arms.

"The baby's gone. He cheated on me, and now the baby is gone."

"Shhh, you would be alright," she said, holding me in her arms. "You are the strongest shewolf I know, and I am not telling you this simply because you are my daughter, but because it is true."

"I do not feel very strong, mama."

"Your tears don't make you weak, nor do the mistakes," she said, holding me. Just as she had always done, every single time I had gone to her, broken and in pain, she was always there to comfort me. She thought I was the strongest she wolf, but she was wrong; she was. Even through all she had gone through, she still stood strong, and I made another promise to myself that I would free her. I was going to watch her walk around a free woman, and I didn't care how long it took me to achieve that.

"I know the Alpha rejected you," she said.

"How did you know?"

"A mother can tell," she says, "but he was never the best for you; he would only hurt you more and more; you deserve better."

"I don't think I can ever trust anyone again... I just can't be betrayed once more; I don't think I can take it."

"You deserve love; you deserve better than this kind of life, and I wish I could give you that... and that's why I won't blame you if you leave this pack. I want you to know that whatever happens, I would always love you and never blame yourself for anything that goes wrong. I am strong enough to take what comes my way, but I want you happy. You are young and beautiful with a clean heart. You deserve a life, and you should have it."

"No, mama, I would never leave you here with him. Never; we are together in this and will always be. I would stay," I promised.

.

The mating ball ceremony occurs every last day of the month; it was every girl's dream and mostly where mates are paired, but that had been the beginning of my own nightmare.

If Ryker wanted me at the ball, then I would be at the ball, but he got one thing wrong: I didn't care who he ended up with; nothing he did could make me jealous; he was no longer mine, and I was glad he wasn't.