Part 2
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
I am posting this story unedited, so if you find spelling/grammatical errors, feel free to let me know.
In an effort to put her life back together, Omara travels to her aunt and uncle's pack. She went there seeking a fresh start, a chance for her soul to find peace, but what she finds is so much more than she ever bargained for!
Complete Chapters 24
Rating 4.8 ( 98 reviews ) Age Rating mature
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Chapter 1
Omara
“Omara McFae, I, Kyle Lowry, reject you as my mate.” My heart feels as if it’s exploding into a million tiny pieces. My lungs feel as though they’re being crushed, leaving me wishing that death would embrace me and free me from this misery.
It’s been almost three months since Kyle rejected me in front of my entire pack during the pack’s monthly pack gathering. Being the quiet and invisible person that I am, no one felt sympathy for me because technically, they never knew me. The pain of that day still radiates within me, but thankfully it’s dulled ever so slightly, or perhaps I’ve just grown accustomed to the agony of it.
Kyle wasted no time moving on and is now taking the former beta’s daughter as his chosen mate, which works since he’s the new alpha’s beta, while I’m left alone, used and unwanted. A few days ago, my mother approached me with an idea of me going to my aunts in the northern territory for the summer to see if it might help me to move past the horrible pain and depression that are slowly eating me alive. I’ve just finished packing and after taking one last look around my room, I take my bags and head downstairs.
“Did you take everything you’ll need, O?” My brother, Liam, calls out from somewhere in the kitchen.
“I packed everything but the bathroom sink. Where’s mom?” He walks out of the kitchen and into the hall, stopping directly in front of me.
“She ran to fill the tank on the car and get you both some snacks for the trip.” He hesitates and shifts awkwardly then suddenly throws his arms around me. “I’m going to miss you so fucking much.”
“Awe, I’m going to miss you too, you big ape.” Liam has never been one for words, but he’s always been my rock. I honestly believe that if I didn’t have him in my life, the rejection would’ve killed me. He held my hand, stayed with me and comforted me through the worst of it and I couldn’t love him more for it. Since that day, he’s been in several fights and spent most of his time jumping to my defense, always standing at my side like a silent sentinel.
Being the rejected mate has given my packmates endless ammunition to use as a means to torment me and completely obliterated the invisibility that used to protect me, but I still don’t know what I ever did to them to deserve their hatred and torment. I went from being invisible to being a target overnight. Liam pulls away and I can see the tears glistening in his eyes, even though he tries to hide them away.
“I can hear the car. You should get out there before she comes in and delays your trip with a walk down memory lane.” We both chuckle softly and hug once more before I leave my home. I throw my bags into the trunk of the car, climb in the passenger seat and as soon as I’m buckled, we’re off. The first hour of our car ride is filled with only the sound of the music on the radio and while the tension in the air is thick, the silence is most welcome, though eventually my mom decides to try and fill it.
“Your aunt Avery is excited to have you stay with them. She seems quite confident that you might find a second chance mate while you’re there.” I roll my eyes and shift to gaze out my window, wondering why the hell everyone seems so set on shoving me off onto another mate as if it would fix me.
“A mate is the furthest thing from my mind, mom. I know you’ve never experienced the pain of being rejected, but it isn’t something I’ll ever be willing to experience again.” My voice breaks at the end as I choke back a sob. I know that, not having gone through it for herself, this is a foreign subject for her. It’s as if she expects me to just pick myself up and dust myself off then move on, but it’s not that easy. How can you pick yourself up when your pieces are so fucking scattered?
“I know sweetheart, but you really should open yourself up to the possibility because you deserve to be happy.” I sigh loudly and turn my head to face her, wanting her to actually see the way her words are hurting me.
“Opening myself up to the possibility of happiness is also opening myself up to the possibility of soul crushing heartbreak. If dad died, would you just move on?” I know I might be pushing a bit too far, but so is she and she needs to know that. I know she sounds like she’s just trying to help, but she’s been pushing this since mere days after the public rejection and it’s quickly taking its toll.
“It’s not the same, Omara, and you know it.” I feel something in me break before I even speak my response.
“You’re right. If dad died, you wouldn’t have to see him walking around with the woman he rejected you for. You wouldn’t have to live with the constant reminder that he chose someone else over you, that you weren’t good enough .” Those are the last words spoken during our eleven hour drive. We arrive at my aunt’s just past nine pm and I can tell that my mom feels as exhausted as I do. My aunt rushes out as we’re closing the doors to the car and quickly pulls me in for a hug.
“Oh, sweet girl, I’ve missed you so much. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown!” She pulls away and her kind eyes scan my body as if committing the changes to memory.
“Eight years will do that.” I reply dryly.
“Don’t mind her, she’s been like this since the… event .” Apparently , that’s how we’re describing me being rejected by my mate in a very public setting and shunned by my entire pack…a damn event .
“Oh, it’s okay. She’s well within her rights to be hurt, angry, or whatever else she might be feeling right now. I hope being here will help her to move forward and find her purpose.” I have to respect her determination, but I doubt anything will help at this point. Everything feels so hopeless.
“I think she just needs to hold her head high and show that bastard that he doesn’t have any power over her.” My mom makes it seem so simple, but it’s really not since he does have power over me! If he didn’t, I wouldn’t be continuing to suffer while he parades around with his chosen mate like he didn’t completely destroy me.
“I think she’s doing the best she can and we just need to be supportive of her. We’ll do whatever we can to help her through this, but she has to be allowed to grieve the loss.” My mom rolls her eyes at my aunt because, no matter what anyone says, she just doesn’t understand.
“There’s nothing to grieve, Avery. Her mate rejected her, he didn’t die.” I love my mom, I really do, but she really can be a bitch sometimes.
“Avery dear, I’m sure they’re exhausted after that long drive. Let’s get them settled and you can catch up in the morning.” Uncle Randy calls out from the front porch. My mother helps me grab my bags and Avery shows us to our rooms. I forgot how huge their house is. My uncle was the Head of security for the former Alpha and as such, was given the best of everything. Their log cabin style home has five bedrooms that each have their own bathrooms, a large kitchen, spacious living room, a dining room with a table that can fit a dozen people easily and the most beautiful garden in the back. I spent most of my time in the garden when we would visit during my childhood. My aunt opens the door to my room and I’m pleased to see the colors are neutral and not overly feminine. We place my bags on the bench at the foot of the bed and say our goodnights. I don’t even bother to change before crashing on the bed and getting lost in my thoughts.
I know I can’t do anything to make things change or to make things better, but being around my mom and her insistence that I just grow up and get over it really has taken a toll on me. I didn’t ask for this, for any of it. I didn’t ask to be lied to, manipulated and betrayed. I didn’t ask for my mate to reject me. I didn’t ask for my heart to be ripped out, torn to shreds then set on fire until it was reduced to ash. I didn’t ask to be forced to endure the soul crushing pain of seeing my former mate with the wolf he chose over me, the one he decided was more worthy than me. As with every night since that fateful day, I allow myself to cry until I have nothing left and finally succumb to the exhaustion of the day.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
We just finished our breakfast when she begins her onslaught of questions.
“Omara, I know things have been hard back home, but how are you feeling now that you’ve had time for things to really sink in?” I try to keep my tone in check as I respond.
“I feel like my heart was ripped from my chest, set on fire and it continues to burn with the intensity of a thousand suns.” I notice the saddened expression on her face and almost feel bad for how I responded.
“Our neighbor’s son is going to take you on a tour of the town around nine. I know you’ve been here before, but a lot has changed since your last visit. This evening, we’ll be having dinner with the Alpha and his ranking members. He likes to meet all newcomers personally.” I nod, not interested in her dinner plans, or in being a part of them, but not wanting to ruffle her feathers too much on my first day here either.
“Ok. Is there a dress code for this dinner?” She smiles and shakes her head softly.
“Just wear a nice pair of jeans and a clean shirt. The new alpha isn’t big on formalities. The only exception being the pack celebrations. You’ll be here for the spring ball, so we’ll have to get you a dress made for it, but that’s a few weeks away still.” I nod again, hoping our conversation is almost through.
“What’s the name of my escort for today?” My attempt at a distraction from the tedious conversation clearly works.
She smiles ear to ear and takes a seat in the chair beside me.
“His name is Blaine. He’s a very sweet boy, but he can be a little shy. You should go get ready, he’ll be here soon.” I welcome the invitation to leave and quickly head to my room, easily deciding that this Blaine guy can’t be worse than everyone else who’s already tried to fix me.
I slide on a pair of stone washed skinny jeans, a burgundy t-shirt with a v-cut neck and my black and white converse shoes.
I decide to pull my long white hair into a braid then throw on mascara and eye liner before deciding I’m done.
I stare in the mirror and feel a sharp pain in my chest as I study the features that Kyle had once told me he loved so much, but it turns out he only said what he needed to in order for me to agree to mate with him, though he never planned to mark me.
Once he got what he wanted, he rejected me and moved on without looking back.
My white hair and pale turquoise eyes have always made me stand out among my people, all of whom have darker hair and most of them have brown eyes.
The differences that made me stand out are why I always wore hoodies and hid everything unique about myself away.
My mother attributed my unique looks to recessive genes, but I’ve always seen it as a curse.
I spent most days hidden behind hoodies and loose fit clothing.
As if my pale hair and eyes weren’t enough to set me apart, I’m also shorter and thinner than everyone else in my pack.
I quickly blink away my tears as a knock on the front door echoes through the house.
I slowly exit my room and walk down the hall where I can hear my aunt talking to someone, presumably Blaine.
“She should be ready any moment now. We really appreciate you taking time to show her around.” Her voice is light and I can easily tell she’s smiling.
“It’s my pleasure, Avery.” I step beyond the hall and watch as my aunt whips around then places a hand over her heart and sighs with a huge smile on her face.
“Omara, this is Blaine. Blaine, this is my niece Omara.” He steps closer to me and extends his hand which I politely take for a friendly, though admittedly awkward handshake.
“It’s great to meet you, Omara. Your aunt has told me so much about you.” I smile, a forced one, but he seems to not be bothered by it.
“It’s good to meet you as well.” He walks back toward the door and stops just before stepping onto the porch.
“Shall we?” I nod and give my aunt a quick hug before walking out the door with Blaine at my side.
My wolf, Kira, seems intrigued by this wolf, but all I can think is that I want nothing more to do with being around unmated males.
“So, how did you get stuck with the job of being my tour guide?” He chuckles and gives me an amused smile.
“Your aunt asked and I agreed. Where are you from?” I smile at the simplicity and ease of our conversation, something that generally doesn’t come easy for me these days.
“White Crest.” He nods, but the look on his face tells me he wasn’t expecting my response, probably because of the distance between the two packs.
“What brought you up to Ember Ridge?” I figure this is the chance to make it known that I’m not interested in whatever kind of set up my aunt may be trying to arrange with this little outing of ours.
“My mate rejected me and my family thought it would be good for me to get away since I’ve been having a hard time moving past it.” His brow rises and he shakes his head slowly.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Some people don’t realize that rejection isn’t something you just get over. It’s like having a piece of yourself die. It’s been my experience that you don’t get over it, but you do learn to live with it.” I stop walking and stare at him, suddenly realizing why my aunt wanted me to meet him.
“You were rejected?” He nods with a soft smile that’s incapable of masking his pain.
“Last year. It still hurts, but now the pain is just in the background. It no longer cripples me. The pack doctor said that finding a second chance mate will cause the pain to subside completely, but I don’t know that I’m interested in finding one.” It’s like he’s in my head and it’s a mild comfort to know that someone else can understand what I’m feeling.
“That’s what I keep trying to tell everyone! My mother said I should open myself up to the possibility of finding happiness, but after living with this pain, I don’t know that I’d be willing to risk being rejected again.” He puts an arm around my shoulders and nods his agreement.
“What was your mates name?” I take a deep breath and practically choke out the name I haven’t spoken out loud since the day I was rejected.
“Kyle. Yours?” His forced smile completely vanishes and his voice carries an unbearable grief.
“Jacob.” We both stop walking, feeling the weight of our heartache bearing down on us. He pulls me into his arms and we both break down into a sobbing mess in the middle of the sidewalk. It takes several minutes for us to regain our composure, wiping away tears and taking steady breaths.
“I see why my aunt wanted me to meet you. I honestly thought she was trying to set me up.” He chuckles and shakes his head at me.
“You seem like an amazing girl, but I play for the other team. I can say, your mate was a blind asshole for rejecting you. You’re a beautiful woman.” I smile and take a long look at him. His skin is a perfect golden tan, his hair a medium brown and his eyes are like pools of honey. He has a muscular build and is fairly tall, all-in-all, he’s the whole package.
“I can say the same about yours.” We return to walking the town with him pointing out several shops and a few restaurants that I don’t remember being here during my last visit. We end up stopping for lunch at a small diner before he walks me back home.
“Omara, I must say it actually was great getting to spend the day with you. Maybe we can hang out again soon.” I nod enthusiastically.
“I would really like that, thank you.” I watch him walk away before heading inside and finding my aunt waiting eagerly just inside the door.
“So?” I smile and pull her tightly in my arms.
“Thank you.” She pats my back softly and squeezes me tight.
“Sometimes it helps just to know we aren’t alone.” Even with all my frustration this morning, I couldn’t be more thankful for this woman than I am right now.
“You’re a pretty amazing woman, you know that?” She chuckles and steps back with a smile on her face.
“That’s what your uncle tells me every day. You should freshen up before dinner. We leave in thirty minutes.” I nod and make my way to my room to touch up my eyeliner and mascara that’s a wreck after my sobbing fit. I make my way to the foyer when I hear my aunt call my name and find her and my uncle patiently waiting for me by the door.
“You look beautiful, Omara.” My uncle praises with a warm smile on his face.
“Thank you. So, is the new alpha stuck up or easy going?” They both laugh as if that’s the craziest thing they’ve been asked in ages.
“He’s very nice, but firm. No need to be nervous about meeting him.” We exit the house and climb into my uncle’s car then drive off toward what I assume will be the main pack house.
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