Rejected By The Beta, Accepted By The Alpha

~Elena~

I am an Omega, the lowest rank in the wolf packs, the rejected, the despised. I never bother about being an Omega or serving my fellow wolves as long as my family is right beside me.

My bed of roses turned into a bed of thorns when I clocked eighteen. I discovered that my mate is the beta, and he has pronounced rejection upon me. My heart is torn and my life has turned complicated. Is this how it feels to be rejected by your mate?

~~~~~

I trudged slowly to the castle, mincing a determination that I had made earlier. I walked up to the gate and told the guard whom I sought. He scowled at me and turned to open the gate, I made to walk in but got shoved aside roughly.

"Fix your ass right there, useless Omega!" He snapped and the Gamma girls behind me laughed mockingly as they flounced into the castle. I got up and flicked the dust away from my clothes.

I am used to such humiliation, it starts like a drizzle when you are little and increases to a storm as you increase in age. The Omegas are regarded as outcasts in the wolf kingdom because of their weakness, it's unfortunate that I happen to be among these Omegas.

My life is filled with hard labor, humiliation, and notwithstanding, a happy family that will always stand by me. I fell into this turbulent situation a few days after celebrating my eighteenth birthday. I can vividly remember the shocking encounter that not only affected me, but the whole Omegas in Dark Moon pack.

The guard's disdainful snort snapped me out of the reverie that brought me to the castle.

"Who the hell do you say you want to see?" he sneered and aggressively waved his hands in my direction.

"Beta Nathan," I replied calmly.

"What do you want with him?" he pressed further, his irritating questions slowly getting on my nerves.

"I must deliver it myself," I replied in an impatient tone. He glared at my confidence and waved me towards the gate.

"Hey, Omar, take her to the Beta!" He snapped at a guard and shoved me in. I staggered and almost dropped to the ground but the assigned guard caught me by the waist. I stared into his green orbs and swallowed hard, for the first time since I discovered my mate, I acknowledged the charms of another man, perhaps, because the Beta had a similar eye color.

He led me to the court garden and in a sweet, gentle tone he told me to wait while he got the Beta. I gave him a charming smile and he gave me a long, unusual stare before staggering away.

I looked around the garden, this is the same garden where he pronounced rejection upon me, where he severed our bond and shattered my heart. I will severe the last string that binds us together. It all started during the day but it will end at night, a night of rejection, a night of depression, a night that will change our lives forever.

I was picking barley when he saw me, I felt that sensation, I perceived that peculiar scent that got me looking up from my work, and there he stood, in the middle of some guards, staring intently at me. It seemed like we were the only ones standing in the barley field. My heart skipped many beats, my temperature rose by many degrees, and my arteries stopped functioning for the minutes it took him to stride over to me. His green eyes burned into mine, his scent enveloped my sense of reasoning. His voice came out rough and husky as he muttered the word "mate."

I thought he loved me when he called me 'mate', everyone in the Omega community rejoiced, they all had the hope of being liberated through me and the Beta, and they all thanked the Moon goddess for bonding us together.

But, a few days after celebrating the discovery of my mate, I was sent to this garden. Right at this spot was where we stood, under the full moonlight. His green eyes were dark, it was blank, holding no emotions that I could clench onto. His voice came out the same way it did when he called me 'mate', rough and husky.

"I, Nathan Luis, reject you as my mate."

Was he forced to do this? That was the hope I held onto until I realized that it was only a false hope.

The words are still ever fresh in my memory, words that will never leave me, words that will remain with me and haunt me forever.

I watched him stride towards me, but he wasn't alone, a woman was striding beside him, laughing into his eyes. I couldn't see her face clearly, but I knew she was a Gamma, her red silk dress flowed behind her, and her arm was tucked into Beta Nathan's arm. They stopped walking and he circled his fingers around her chin and lifted her face. My heart burned in anguish as I watched their lips connect, they remained like that for what seemed like years before they broke apart, he muttered something to her and kissed her forehead, smiling ruefully as she slid into the building they came out from.

Nathan strode towards me, the smile was no more on his face, and the startling green eyes became blank.

"If you think that I will accept you back, then stop dreaming because I won't," he said and smirked triumphantly as he watched his venom-filled words sting me.

"I have rejected you, Elena, and I don't mind repeating it over and over again."

"I, Nathan Luis, reject you as my mate," he mocked and swerved around to return to his woman.

My heart stung again at his declaration, but I have decided that will not be stopped by my emotions.

"I have not accepted your rejection, Beta," I said, eluding his name.

He crooned his neck and gave me a mock smile.

"He thinks you're weak," Oregon, my wolf whispered. I took in a deep breath, ready to make a decision that would change my life forever.

"I, Elena Cyrus, accept your rejection, Nathan Luis."

When he turned around, his reaction amazed me, his face became pale, his lips turned bloodless and his eyes dilated.

"What did you just say?" He said in a whisper.

"I, Elena Cyrus, accept your rejection," I repeated.

His lips trembled as words ceased to proceed out of his mouth.

"You?" He flickered his fingers towards me.

"Yes, Nathan, I sever every bond that binds us together, you are no longer my mate and I am not yours either. That bond that exists between us is broken and I have destroyed it." As I said those words, Oregon whimpered in pain. I felt a burning sensation in my heart, it was so painful that I wanted to run out of the garden and cry my eyes out. Nathan didn't seem to be better, his face was crinkled and I noticed that he was suffering the same pain too.

"Well..." he strode closer to me and held my chin with stone-cold fingers.

"I wonder how long you will endure the suffering that follows," he smirked and with that, he ambled away.

He is right, I will undergo a lot of tribulations for this. But I will prove to him that I am not weak, being an Omega does not make me weak and I will go to any extent to show him that I will survive this rejection. I once thanked the moon goddess for bonding us together, but now I hate the moon goddess for the bonds that once existed between us.

The calm breeze swept my hair across my face, joyfully disarraying it. I brushed it back and glanced at the ferns surrounding the extreme path of the field.

That is the path that I have chosen to work, away from the prying and mocking eyes of the Beta.

Melsa hobbled up beside me and grimaced.

"I don't feel too good," she muttered. I nodded understanding her plight, and struck her hair gently. Melsa is my elder sister, she's 21 yet she doesn't have a mate. But, aren't her circumstances better than mine? Isn't it better to be without a mate than to be rejected by yours?

I felt the burning sensation again and knew that the Beta was close by.

"The Beta is coming," Melsa whispered, confirming my suspicion. Melsa slipped away to the spot she came from. I held my head down, eluding the stab of his shadow. I heard his husky voice call my name twice but I didn't budge, I just couldn't move my body, I felt paralyzed in depression and anger.

"Elena!" It pierced into my eardrum and I finally gave in, hiding my face would make me weak.

I lifted my head and faced my ex-mate. When our eyes met, his volatile nature seemed to evaporate, his full blossomed lips grew pale and his hands tightened around the handle of the sword in his hand, his other hand folded into a fist till his knuckles turned white. Everyone froze and all eyes were directed towards us.

"Beta Nathan," I called, he darted his lashes and woke from the trance he was in.

"Come with me!" He ordered, his old self sprang back again. "The both of you," he added, staring at Melsa. We staggered to our feet, glancing at each other in confusion.

"What are you all looking at? Get your lazy ass back to work!" He thundered and everyone scrambled to their work. He signaled for us to follow him and we obeyed without hesitation, we strode out of the field and he turned, his stone-cold eyes glared daggers at us.

"Gossiping around while work is on, is that how lazy you are?" He snapped. We glanced at each other and remained mute. He snickered and waved at a guard, "They will pick blueberries for a week, it starts today." A wave of dismay spread across our faces as we gasped and fell on our knees, taking turns to plead for pardon, but he only grunted in contempt and trudged away.

When we got to the blueberry bush, three Gamma girls were instructed to watch over us and make sure we did a clean picking. The first one looked older than the rest, her tangled auburn hair was packed into a ponytail and her long lashes prevented the set of startling round jade orbs from flaunting their immersing beauty.

The second girl was a chubby and cheeky fellow. Her big black eyes seemed to dilate whenever she yelled an instruction, and when her nose flared up in annoyance it caused a flow of crimson to spread across her face and neck.

The third girl was a lean blond-haired girl, she always took pleasure in watching her victims suffer in pain.

"Get on with it rejected slut!" The blonde girl shoved me roughly, I growled as her words stung me. Oregon wanted to pounce out and leap out her anger on the girl, but I refrained her.

"She is growling," the chubby girl mocked, the two girls laughed but the jade-eyed girl remained quiet.

"Don't listen to them, they're fools," Melissa whispered.

"What are you whispering about, huh?" The chubby girl asked. Melsa rolled her eyes at her and hissed. The girl gasped and sent a slap across Melsa's face. This got Oregon springing out, she pounced on the girl and they landed on the ground. Oregon gnashed her fangs at her, ready to make her uglier with it.

A hard blow struck my head followed by a slash. I fell and my back burned as liquid socked my dress.

Melsa's scream pierced into my eardrums and I groaned as the pain from the slash burned my back. My face kissed the dirty dust and blood gushed freely from my back.

When I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Melsa struggling with the girls while the other girl stood at a distance, smirking.

The chubby girl shoved Melsa's lustrous hair into her hands and the blonde girl slapped her across the face. Melsa's face reddened and her veins popped out of her forehead.

I wanted to get up and help my sister but my back throbbed in pain, my spirit was willing but my body was weak. I wished the other girl would help Melsa but she didn't, she stood blank, neither helping her friends nor my sister.

I felt weak, blood soaked my back, and gummed my dress.

My lips trembled as my vision became blurred. The walls of gravity took their toll as I felt myself falling deeper into a dark unfathomable abyss. The voices around began whirling away in rhythm. I smiled coyly, a smile of happiness in death. Beta Nathan would be well pleased, he would admonish that he was right after all, I cannot stand the rejection, I will not survive it, and he was right, I was giving up, not in a suicidal way but in a justifiable way, in a way that will not bring his scowling face to my faded fate.

"Stop that!" A male voice shot through my panel of consciousness. The aura of the voice radiated light into my fading soul and shot me out of the abyss I was drowning into. I groaned slightly and looked at the people that I had almost left. The girls looked at the intruder, their eyes widened like saucers, and and their lips parted as they fearfully pulled away from Melsa, the three girls gathered together and bowed, Melsa also staggered to her feet and bowed. There is only one person that could extract such a reaction from them, it must be the Beta. Even though I needed help I wished it wasn't him. I lay on my side and peeked at him.

My eyes widened as I saw the person that I least expected, the world seemed to revolve around and my heart gave several leaps as I stared into the eyeball of the Alpha.

A gasp left my lips as I stared into his dark eyes, he swerved his head to the shivering girls kneeling before him then back to me. His eyes held contact with mine for a silent moment before they moved to my back.

"They did this to you?" he creased his brows as he examined my gory back.

"Yes, Alpha," Melsa quickly nodded.

The grief from the slash returned and I inhaled. I am certain that it was a silver blade, I do wonder if I will ever heal. My flawless skin has always been a center of attraction in the pack, I guess the girls must have been jealous.

"Why do you carry silver blades around knowing how dangerous it is ?" He frowned at the girls.

They stammered and exchanged frightful glances.

"Do you know how dangerous the step you took is?"

His voice sounded distant yet clear. I glanced up at him again, his piercing dark eyes stared intently at me as he shoved his hands into his pant pocket.

"Xander, I..." My heartbeat rang with intense speed as Nathan came into the gathering. His sentence ended midway as he glanced at us,

"Alpha?" He called and the Alpha looked at him, his dark hair sweeping against his face.

"Have these girls locked up," He waved his hands at our three devilish guides.

"I will decide what to do with them." He said and approached me.

Nathan resisted for a moment, he glared at me and rounded up the girls who had been crying their eyes out since the Alpha arrived. He muttered a word at Melsa and she smirked and stuck out her tongue at him.

I shrieked and shut my eyes as something cold snaked itself around my arm, it must be a snake or worse, a poisonous climber.

I wished for death yet it wouldn't come and when it knocked with a silver blade the alpha came pushing it away. I wriggled my weak arm to shake 'whatever it was' away yet it didn't budge. My heartbeat accelerated as it fixed tightly to my arm, its gnawing teeth digging into my flesh. My lips trembled and I tried to call out for Melsa but no words came out.

"They have been taken to the castle, Alpha." I heard the distant voice of Nathan.

I was shocked that the alpha was still there, watching me suffer from a mere creature, but then he would have flung it aside if he had seen it unless it wasn't what I thought it was.

I snapped open my eyes and stared into a pair of startling dark eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked calmly. He was kneeling beside me and his hands were fastened around my arm. I gasped as I realized that it wasn't a snake neither a poisonous climber, it was his cold hands. His hands were so cold that my arm had become numb from his touch.

"Your-your hands!" I shrieked.

Nathan and Melsa hovered behind him as he glanced blankly at my arm.

"You need to get your wound treated," he snapped and his eyes darkened. I relented in fear but he cupped me into his arms and plodded towards his horse.

"Though...the scar will remain," Nathan mumbled behind us.

I heard the alpha say something but I couldn't understand his words, it sounded like a rushing wind that sweeps past and never returns. Their voices whirled around me as my eyes dilated and my body shook in dizziness.

The last thing I saw was Nathan's evil smirk followed by a river of darkness.

* * * *

"She will be fine."

"It is a silver blade, will it leave a scar?"

"It depends on her strength, Alpha."

"She is an Omega."

"There is no possibility for her surviving."

"I don't care."

"She is weak, Alpha."

"Nathan!"

The growl forced my weak eyes to open, I peered at the people in the dimly lit room. A woman stood at the foot of my bed and the Alpha and Nathan stood by the door arguing.

"She will be fine," the woman repeated and they kept mute. I groaned and the alpha walked to the bed with Nathan solemnly trailing behind him.

"Praise be to the Moon goddess, she is finally awake!" The woman said and sat on the edge of the bed, she cupped my hands into her frail, rough hands and caressed my forehead.

"I am Levanda, the pack's healer," she mumbled softly.

I stared blankly at her, a beautiful grey-haired woman probably in her late 70s, her grey hair was styled perfectly to her slender, quivering shoulders, the sweat on her face exposed the wrinkles on her face which was hidden with face powder, and her pale, cracked lips lit up her face whenever it spreads into a smile.

"How are you feeling now?" I jumped as hot breath brushed against my neck, the Alpha was sitting beside me, his dark eyes sliced into me.

"How are you feeling?" He repeated. I realized that the sweet, melancholic voice that echoed in my head was his. I nodded and he sighed and parted his lips to say something but the presence of Nathan made him press them together in annoyance.

"The elders are waiting, Alpha," Nathan said. Alpha Xander got up and strode out of the room in silence. Nathan directed a snicker at me and trotted after the alpha.

I sighed as the feeling of prejudice crept into my solitary state. The physician who had cared for me was no longer in the dimly lit room and Melsa was not anywhere close to the castle. The gashing slash on my back left a besetting, gory, chilly imagery on my mind, I don't know if I should feel perplexed that I wasn't seeing the wound, a wound that will certainly heal but leave a scar that will remain on my companion for the rest of my life.

I slid out of the bed, my feet willingly shuffling to the door, I would become a burden if I should remain here, I want to be away from the Beta, the Alpha, and every other person in the castle.

When I opened the door, I came face to face with Nathan, his cold, stern face pointed out that he didn't want me close to him.

"I was about to leave," I responded and he moved out of the way.

"Didn't I tell you? You cannot survive without me." His stinging mockery halted me in my tracks.

"This is just the beginning of your suffering, Elena, and bear in mind that I will never accept you no matter how clingy you tend to be," he added. I couldn't say anything to prove him wrong, even when I tried to retort back at him, no words formed in my mind or spilled from my lips. Courage left me and tears blurred my vision as I stared sheepishly at him. He is right, what use will I be alive, I will only be a burden to my family and myself, I will live the rest of my pathetic life without a mate or someone to love. The scar on my back will be a constant reminder of how weak I am.

As I turned away to walk out of the perilous fate that stared at my face, the same audacious voice spoke up behind me and I halted.

"She is your mate?" I turned around and glanced at the Alpha. His brows arched as his penetrating eyes dimmed into my shattered heart.

"Yes Alpha, and I have rejected her," Nathan replied proudly.

Alpha Xander mused and took a few steps towards me.

"You have rejected her?" He asked again and Nathan nodded.

"Since you, Nathan, have rejected the Omega..." He wrapped his cold fingers around my chin and lifted my face.

"I, Alexander Lucius, accept her to be my mate!" he declared.

I was shocked at his utterance, Nathan wasn't left out either. I was standing between two men with different emotions, both anticipating an answer from me. I stammered and staggered until my feet propelled me out of the palace.

Getting back home with rheumy eyes, I padded into my room unnoticed and sank into my bed. My life is like a pendulum, swinging from bad to worse, why would the Alpha want me even when I'm not his mate? There have been rumors that the alpha had lost two Lunas mysteriously, I won't call this a rumor but a fact. Why will he want me for a Luna, does he want me dead too? Is this a way the Moon goddess has devised to punish me for my sins?

I stood, paced to the window, and stared at the sky which was studded with stars. I sighed dryly as the door creaked open and Melsa padded into the room, looking pale. Some of her forelock was gone and her hands and feet were bruised. Her bruised hands held a bundle of embroidery.

"How is your back fairing, can I see it?" Melsa asked as she dumped the embroidered dresses into the closet, I shook my head and snapped it back to the lonely stars.

"Was it that bad?" She whispered and held my chin.

"No," I muttered but the tears that threatened to spill out betrayed me.

"You don't have to hide it, we will always be here for you, remember?" She muttered and pulled me closer to her body. I whimpered and buried my teary face into her shoulder. The door burst open and we disengaged. My father panting heavily, pointed at the door. We stared at the door, unsure of what had taken his breath away. "The Alpha is waiting outside for you."

~

My knuckles turned white in anxiety as I stood before the horses. I interlocked my pale, trembling fingers behind my back and dug my toes into the ground trying so hard to remain steady. The Alpha had the usual blank look on his face, his gloved hands tightened around the reins. Nathan's face was pale in anticipation and dread, right in his eyes he pleaded for a disagreement as a flood of dismay swayed around his pupils.

"You owe me an answer, Elena," Alpha Xander finally broke the tensed, silent air. My parents and sisters gapped at me in utter confusion, everyone in our neighborhood gathered to fish out what my new peril was. This is the only chance I have to make a decision that will either change my life for the better or the worse.

I stared deep into the Apha's piercing eyes and declared, " I, Elena Cyrus accept to become your mate."