Rejected and banished

Denara

Disbelief flooded through me as Freya's words sank in. My parents...traitors? It was almost impossible to comprehend.

Random fragments of memories I had of them began to flood my mind. They seemed kind, so peaceful. My father and mother would never have done such a terrible thing - or even thought about it. 

They were killed because they tried to take over the alpha's position?

"Your dad was the Beta?" Bruno asked, his eyes wide with realization and devastation.

I stared at him, my own eyes surely reflecting the same mix of emotions. "I-I don't understand," I stammered, feeling unsteady on my feet. "This can't be true. My parents were good people. They would never..."

My voice trailed off as the implications of Freya's revelation sank in. If what she was saying was true, then everything I thought I knew about my family was a lie.

I felt dizzy, and the room around me began to spin. 

Overwhelmed, I took a step forward, reaching out towards Bruno, seeking his steadying presence. But as I moved closer to him, he unexpectedly stepped back, putting a distance between us.

His unexpected reaction sent a jolt of hurt and confusion through me, stunning me into momentary silence. I stared at Bruno, searching his face for some explanation, some understanding of his reaction.

His features were filled with a sense of profound sadness, but there was something else there too – a hint of wariness, almost of fear.

"Bruno?" I asked tentatively, my voice small and unsteady. 

I searched his face, hoping to find some answers, some semblance of understanding. But all I saw was the same mixture of shock and sorrow that I felt mirrored within myself.

"Oh, my son! You're here!" 

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse. 

The Luna walked in, her voice filled with a mixture of relief and concern as she approached Bruno.

A sense of dread washed over me as I watched Bruno's mother, the Luna, sweep into the room, and not just that, she was closely followed by my Aunt Rosa. 

The sight of the two women only added to the overwhelming turmoil I was already feeling.

I could feel the tension in the air thickening, and I knew instinctively that this was not going to be a pleasant encounter. Aunt Rosa's presence, in particular, filled me with a growing unease.

"Oh, my son!" the Luna repeated, her eyes scanning Bruno's face. “I’ve missed you.”

I steeled myself, bracing for the confrontation that was surely about to unfold. 

As the two women drew closer, I couldn't help but glance nervously between them and Bruno, unsure of how this was all going to play out. 

The revelation about my parents had shaken me to the core, and now, with these three women all in one place, I knew it was going to be the end of me. 

“What are you doing here?” Aunt Rosa, who had noticed me as she walked in, questioned me with disgust. 

“Mother, this puny bastard just claimed that Bruno is her mate,” Freya explained and I watched in silence as the whole situation played before me. 

I still had not recovered from how he stepped away from me a few seconds ago. 

They all turned to me with raised brows, the room went silent at first until the women uniformly burst into laughter. 

I wanted the ground to genuinely open up and consume me. 

“Is that true, Bruno? Is she your mate?” The Luna questioned and my eyes shot up to Bruno, almost desperate to hear him say yes and put Freya to shame. 

“Yes,” once again, I felt a blossom in my belly as I heard him talk. 

“But I’ll reject her, she can’t be my mate.”

I looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to do what he was about to do but I was a fool to think my pleas would change anything.

I, Bruno Erickson, the next alpha of the royal crimson pack, reject you Denera…”

“Denara Shawn, Shawn is her last name.” Freya chipped in.

“I reject you, Denara Shawn, as  my mate and the future Luna of this pack.” 

For the first time in my life, I felt my heart shatter. 

I felt the air leave my lungs as Bruno's words echoed through the room. 

I knew he was affected too, after all the mate bond wasn’t a one sided thing, but he was trying to put up a front.

“I can’t acc—”

“You don’t have a choice. Now say it.” Bruno snapped, making my heart skip more beats than one. 

I hesitated for a second, the room becoming quiet, waiting for me to talk. 

“I, Denera Shawn…” I trailed off, hoping he’d change his mind. “Accept the rejection. I reject you, Bruno Erickson as my mate and your next Luna of this pack.” My own words broke me even further as I felt the bond that we were supposed to share, shatter into bits. 

On the other hand, he was listless. His face was pale and his eyes were red as he glared down at me. For a split moment I noticed how his jaw ticked. 

Had he really grown so much hate for me in such short moments?

“I don’t know why you were not executed with your parents then, but I  banish you from this pack, just because I can’t bring myself to kill you. You have only forty eight hours to leave this pack and never return.”

His flat, emotionless statement struck me like a physical blow, shattering the fragile hope that had grown within me. Suddenly, the world seemed to tilt, and I struggled to find my footing.

I stared at Bruno, my eyes wide with disbelief and deep sadness. 

“No.” 

The Luna's brow furrowed, a mix of confusion and concern on her face. “Executed with her parents?” 

"Her father was the traitor beta," Aunt Rosa answered, her intense gaze fixed on me as she spoke.

“Oh,” the Luna’s concerned voice turned into disgust. 

I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, drowning out everything else. The pain of his rejection left me reeling, my mind racing to make sense of this sudden, cruel turn of events.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around myself, as if trying to hold the pieces of my broken heart together. The trust I had placed in Bruno, it had all been for nothing.

At that moment, I understood how foolish I was to open myself up for even a small moment, to believe that he could truly care for me even though we just met. 

The sting of his words, the finality with which he had dismissed me, cut deeper than any physical wound and the embarrassment was much worse. 

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I forced myself to meet his gaze, searching for any hint of emotion, any sign that this was not the absolute truth. But his features remained calm, his eyes were devoid of the warmth I had grown so used to.

"Bruno..." I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper, filled with a desperate plea. 

Bruno turned away from me and left the room, leaving me shattered in his absence.

"Why is a traitor in my home?" The Luna spat, her words dripping with open disgust.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, my voice small and trembling.

Banished…

The realisation hit me hard, washing away any sense of safety or belonging I felt. I was being cast out, forced to leave the only home I had ever known  

I looked up at my aunt, hoping and begging with my eyes that she would plead on my behalf because I had nowhere else to go, but she spat on the floor where I knelt. 

“An embarrassment.” Aunt Rosa smirked. 

I had no idea what I did in life to deserve any of the punishment and reactions I was getting from anyone. I had never harmed anyone in my entire life. Were people always this cruel?

Freya had a smirk of satisfaction on her face and it made me wonder if I ever did anything to her. 

The Luna turned and left and I believed the tension would reduce a notch. 

However, Aunt Rosa stayed behind with her daughter and they both did not look happy. 

“Aunt Rosa—”

“You stupid bastard!” She growled out, rushing at me and dragging me by my hair against the hard floor. 

“Please,” I pleaded in pain. 

“You go around embarrassing us! I should have let you die with your useless parents, it was a terrible idea to have allowed you to even live with me in the first place!” her words bore more holes into my already aching heart. 

“I'm sorry,” out of habit, those words fell out of my mouth as my almost helpless body laid on the dusty floor. 

For the first time in my life, I actually really wished I died with my parents. 

“Thank goodness you're already banished!” Once again, she spat on me in disgust before turning to leave. 

The realisation was still hard to fathom. 

I really was banished.

I could feel Freya’s eyes boring holes through my back with her glare. All I wanted was for them to leave me alone. 

But I knew I would never ever get what I want. 

Freya took it upon herself to move towards me, I knew she was up to no good, she picked up the bucket of water I was using to clean and poured its content over my head. 

My eyes involuntarily closed and I jerked up abruptly from the immediate cold that met with my skin as I felt the soap water damp my hair and drip down to my shoulders. 

I could barely open my eyes because I was afraid the soapy contents would get in them and I felt the heaviness of the wet rag I was using to clean on my head. 

“You missed a spot stupid rat,” She giggled, walking back to her mother. With that, they both finally turned away. 

Her actions were nothing, compared to the pain and emptiness I felt in my chest. 

I would never be loved by anyone and the hope of finding my mate was useless.