Chapter 3: Rejection

Delaney

I'm sitting on the dirty floor my cell with my arms around my knees. 

Ten years. Ten. That's how long I'll be expected to stay imprisoned for the murder of Trevor. Due to the fact that he hurt me, I was given a lower sentence. That's the information I received afterward as I was being brought here to the prison. 

"Courtesy of the Alpha and the judge," the officer told me before spitting at my feet. "It's certainly more than an Omega like you deserve."

Most police officers are Gammas, so they're higher in rank than us. Omegas are considered the weakest people in every pack, and I'm pretty sure we'd all be killed if they—the higher-ups— didn't need people to clean after them. 

I'm numb. My brutal reality hasn't sunk in yet, and so as a result, I have this feeling like all of this is temporary and I'll go home soon. I haven't quite accepted the fact that I'll be imprisoned for ten years. 

I couldn't say how many hours passed since I was shoved in my cell. The bottom bunk bed indicates that someone is in here with me. The bed hasn't been made, and I find a few things under the pillow. Just some hair pins and an old photograph that's been folded up. Only, I don't know where my cellmate is. 

I hear footsteps heading toward me. At first, I think they'll go right past me, but then the person—the man—stops in front of my cell. I know it's a man because of his huge feet and the sneakers he's wearing. My eyes move slowly from his feet to his head, and I grow even colder when I realize that the person standing in front of me is Alec himself. 

Our eyes lock. Time seems to stop. Alec steps closer to the bars and eyes me with a pity that doesn't sit well with me. What's he pitying me for when he's the reason why I'm here to begin with?

"You lied," I tell him after a while. My voice is so low that it's barely above a whisper. 

Alec stares at me with his lips pressed together. At first, I'm not sure that he'll answer me, but then he says in an equally low voice, "I had to."

I scoff in disbelief. "You...you had to?"

He lowers his eyes and doesn't say anything else. Again, I take note of the bruise on his face that's already starting to heal due to our supernatural abilities. It's all I can focus on for a while until he says, "I came here to reject you, Omega, so let's get this done and over with."

The word rejection does something to me. I can't explain what it is, but it cuts me up and leaves my wolf howling in pain. 

"Stand up," he commands.

I find myself moving. I stand up, my eyes on his face. He's gripping the bars so tightly that his knuckles are white. He then says, "For your protection, it would be better if you never told anyone about this. About us. Do you understand?"

Tears cloud my vision. I don't answer him. 

He slams his hand against the metal bar. "ANSWER ME!"

I nod as tears slide down my cheeks, and he calms down, seemingly satisfied with my response. Then, the words he utters cut through me and sever the sliver of a bond we had, one that would've grown stronger had we accepted each other as mates. "I, Alec Oliver Castell, reject you,  Delaney Marie Waters, as my mate."

I'm in so much emotional pain that I don't ask myself how he knows my full name. "I, Delaney Marie Waters, accept your rejection."

I sink to the floor as waves of pain crash into me. Most of my pain comes from my wounded wolf. Through the pain and confusion, I hear Alec say, "Remember this, Omega: the second you mention our bond, you'll be slaughtered like a pig. And don't even bother telling anyone you didn't kill Trevor because it won't make a single difference."

With that, he leaves. 

I'm curled up on the floor while tears slide down my face. They form a small puddle on the floor by my head, and I ride the wave of pain. I should have never expected more from him. That was my mistake. He'd always accompanied his friends as they bullied me. He'd laughed at me. He'd supported it all. My wolf should have known that she was cursed too, because what else would explain him being my fated mate? 

It was obvious that he'd reject me, and I doubt that I'll have a second chance at this like some people do. 

That's the whole point of being a cursed individual. 

When my cellmate arrives, I'm fast asleep. I wake up to the sound of the cell opening. She's shoved inside roughly and nearly steps on my head. She curses the guard and then bangs her hands on the bars. "You'll pay for this! You'll see!"

Then, after she's done raging, she finally turns around and looks at me. Her hair is black, but it's not the natural color of her hair because her roots are blonde. She gives me a once over with her bright blue eyes before asking, "And you're in here for what exactly?"

I don't answer her and she clicks her tongue and walks past me before throwing herself on her bed. "You better not snore or I'll smother you in your sleep. And don't you dare try anything funny. I'm warning you. You don't even look like you can fight."

After this, she falls asleep. I know this because of the soft snores leaving her lips. I get up and move closer to the cell's door. I squeeze my face between the bars as far as I can before peering out at the place that will be my new reality. Inside, my wolf is wounded, but she'll heal. She'll heal because there's not much she can't overcome. 

Acceptance is slowly sinking into my bones. The longer I think about it, the easier it all becomes to digest. Although I'm in prison, I try to find advantages in order to make it easier for me to cope. At least I'm safe in here. I won't be bullied by the elites anymore. I'll have peace. 

When my cellmate wakes up, she finds me in the same position. She yawns and then chuckles. "What, are you shell-shocked or something?"

"No," I answer. "Just letting things sink in."

She genuinely scoffs at this. "That never happens. I've been in here for a month now and I'm still having a hard time accepting the fact that I'm here and that this is my new reality."

I turn my head to look at her. She's very pretty, but there's an air to her that makes me feel a little wary. "How long are you staying?" I ask curiously.

She shales her head. "I asked you a question earlier, remember? You answer that one and then I'll answer one of yours. That's how things work."

"I was wrongfully accused of killing someone," I confess. 

She sighs. "So is everyone."

"I mean it," I tell her. "I didn't do it."

Alec's warning returns to me. I'm not going to tell her about his involvement, but there's no way I'll admit to a crime I didn't commit. "Now you."

She sighs. "I actually killed someone."

My eyes widen. She catches my expression and laughs bitterly. "It wasn't in cold blood. It was self-defense. But that still lands you in here for ten years or so. In my case, it's seven. The guy was a Gamma, and he was hurting my brother, who was already shot. So, I tried to get involved and he turned on me. I didn't have a choice. He would've killed me if I hadn't killed him first. But nobody cares because we're Omegas."

"And your brother?"

"In jail, too," she replies. "But he's only staying for two years. He didn't really do anything."

Our shared story makes us bond. I find out that her name is Paola Lyons, and she's my age. The years pass and our friendship grows stronger. I learn a lot from her, and about myself, too. For starters, I realize that my wolf has never really let go of what was done to us, and she wants revenge. She's thirsty for it. Before, I tried to ignore this, but as the years go by, I give into her nature. Why not? Why can't I have revenge?

I can and I will.

When I get out of here, Alec Castell will pay for what he did to me. 

All of them will. I'll make sure of it.