CHAPTER 1: Rejected first and then saved later

Chapter 1 -

Autumn’s Pov

“I, Alpha Rafe of the Crescent Night pack, reject you, the Mute Omega, Autumn Nix!”

The words I had dreaded hearing echoed through the air, and no sooner had they left Alpha Rafe's mouth than the pack erupted into mocking laughter around me.

My eyes watered as shame covered me on the floor like a wet towel, I suddenly wished I hadn’t come here.

I thought the moon goddess had finally deemed me worthy of her blessings of finding a true mate when my wolf had urged me to attend the alpha's ball my foster father, Zane was hosting. A party I wasn't invited to despite being a member of the family. And he'd made it clear to me not to step my foot inside the hall to be used for the party.

Bessie, my foster mother and her daughter Catalina, were the only ones invited instead and I didn't need a soothsayer telling me why. I was nothing but a dirt stain on the wall after all, the one who got switched at birth in the pack hospital. A couple had left their boy cub to be cleaned by the nurses and when they came back, they found me – the cursed pup, who couldn’t speak.

But Lyka, my wolf , knew all this, yet pressured me into sneaking out of my room to attend the ball.

I had blended very well with the crowd, going as far as hiding myself in a corner where the high table’s vantage point wouldn’t reach.

But Alpha Rafe who was one of the guests at the party had fetched me out while growling the word “Mate."

“Say something, Omega. I order you.” His eyes had narrowed at me and my body had tensed, glancing at my father for help.

Until someone in the crowd yelled out, “Her name is Autumn. She’s mute, Alpha Rafe.”

Alpha Rafe’s expression had changed from anger to disgust immediately. I had tried to speak, to prove everyone wrong but all my words came out as barely a low grumble. And now that he'd rejected me, I couldn't be more desperate to protect whatever chance I had left.

“Please…” I whimpered, going on my knees in front of Alpha Rafe who was towering above me. “Please take back your rejection, it hurts so much.”

I knew he couldn't hear me but I was determined not to give up so easily. I inched closer to him, bowing my head at the sole of his feet to show my submission to him. How submissive I'll be to him if he accepted me as his mate.

“Step away from me omega!” Alpha Rafe growled in anger and hate. “You're not even worthy to stand before me or anyone here! Infact, how could the moon goddess give me a curse as a fated mate?!”

I shook my head repeatedly like that could prove to him otherwise. I grabbed his arm and he immediately slashed his claws on my skin, so that I could get my stinking hands off of him.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I laid sprawled out on the floor, holding my injured arm in agony. I looked at my father hoping to see sympathy or remorse in their eyes but what I saw instead was mockery. Just like the rest of the rest of the wolves gathered.

I crawled to my sister, Catalina with the hopes that I could persuade her to take back my mate's rejection but immediately I reached where she was, she scrunched her nose up in disgust and glared at me.

“Didn't you hear the alpha, Autumn? Leave now!” Catalina yelled. I swallowed thickly and groaned, turning to face Bessie who stood beside Catalina.

Immediately our eyes locked, she rolled her eyes and swept her gaze to Catalina, whispering something into her ears.

Before I could blink, Catalina pushed past me and walked up to Alpha Rafe’s side, smiling cruelly at my humiliation. I knew she was happy that I was getting what I deserved for disobeying Zane and leaving the house to attend the most anticipated party but I didn't expect to hear what I heard next from her mouth.

“Oh sweetheart, your meat would get cold. Leave this worthless thing here and come back to our table,” she said to him, placing a hand on his chin and turning his face to her.

“Right away hun. You know for a moment I was confused, my beloved Catalina.” the alpha smiled at her.

Beloved Catalina?!

I stared in shock as Catalina shot me a wink and snuggled closer to Alpha Rafe whose hands were already firmly wrapping around her waist.

Letting out a sound akin to a moan, she kissed him with her tongue while I was still bleeding out on the floor, looking worse than a fool.

My heart burned in pain from his rejection and Lyka growled watching Catalina kiss Alpha Rafe. She was going feral.

The pain tripled when Alpha Rafe caressed Catalina’s breast and grabbed her butt cheeks. It was clear the Alpha had marked my foster sister as his, because neither Zane nor Bessie interfered in the dishonouring display of their daughter.

But how did this happen? When did Catalina get the chance to meet the alpha?

Tears brimmed my eyelids and flowed down my cheeks in torrent as I watched Alpha Rafe lead Catalina so gently back to the table where he was.

I tried to stand on my feet, ready to leave the ball since my presence that wasn't needed in the first place was suddenly becoming too excruciating for me to bear.

But just as I did, a guard handed me a paper and a pen.

“Aren't you forgetting something, mute omega?” He growled. It was then I realised that I hadn’t yet done my part. The humiliation was not over.

I gulped hard and took the pen and paper from him, writing down what I was pretty sure everyone was dying to see.

“I accept your rejection, Alpha Rafe.” I wrote the words boldly on the white paper and stretched it up for everyone to see.

Suddenly, a whip slashed my back and I groaned in pain, falling forward on the ground.

“Raise it high, mute omega!” the guard yelled.

Despite my wounded arm, I raised the white paper high, sobbing because when I tried keeping my hands down, the whip slashed my back again. I held my hand up regardless, refusing to let the pain allow me make the mistake of keeping my hands down again.

“Can everybody see what she's written?” The guard yelled, glaring daggers at me from the corner of his eyes.

Murmurs filled with a low ‘yes’ thundered the air, much to my relief. But almost immediately, Catalina’s voice came on.

“Unfortunately I can't, she needs to raise it high a bit more.”

I didn’t know which felt worse at that moment –the pain from Alpha Rafe’s rejection, my almost bleeding arms or Catalina’s comment.

I moaned my pleas, hoping Catalina would at least have mercy on me but she smirked instead and planted a feathering kiss on Alpha Rafe’s lips.

“You heard the lady, mute omega, raise it higher!” The guard growled.

I obliged immediately, not minding the bolts of pain that shot through my arms. For fear of being whipped or Catalina making another heart wrenching request, I kept my hands up until I heard her say.

“That's enough. She can bring her hands down now.”

Alpha Rafe, who hadn't spared me a glance after Catalina walked up to him, scowled my way one last time before pulling Catalina in and smothering kisses all over her neck for all to see.

The sight lacerated my heart but I was glad I had been freed the torture of lifting my arms atleast. After a while, music blared loudly from the speakers again and the hall went back to how it was before my humiliation began.

So I stealthily left the spot and escaped the ballroom successfully, breaking into a run as soon as I made it past the gate.

I didn’t stop running until I had left the pack house entirely. The sky had darkened already but my mind wasn’t with me. All I wanted was to be far away from all the cruelty because I couldn’t take it anymore.

Was I born to be hated?

I remembered the look in Alpha Rafe’s eyes when he scowled at me and it completely destroyed me. I had no hope anymore that I was meant to be loved on this earth. There was no one who was on my side, except Lyka.

But just as I stopped to catch my breath with tears and snort plastered all over my face, a deep husky voice whispered from the shadows.

“Looks like we've got a little runaway on our hands tonight….”