Marked By Rejection by Avery Stone
Rejection To Exception
"Should we kill all of them, sir?"
"Get rid of the lower ranks. Let it be a reminder that I don't tolerate foolishness."
"Yes, Alpha."
My body was swaying, my arms and legs feeling lifeless. If only my whole body could be numbed from all the pain coursing through me. It was like I'd been drugged with agony and it coursed through my veins and begged for my surrender.
If only it were that easy.
I felt like I should have been dead by now. It only made sense with the amount of blood I'd lost. I'd been trying not to think of the conversation that occurred before I woke up in this hellhole, but that single word kept popping up in my mind.
Immortality.
My mind couldn't comprehend the mere possibility, but more importantly, I had to figure out this world that shouldn't feel as different as it did.
There was a pinch of curiosity lingering in my mind to discover what was hidden amongst the surface that looked so normal to my eyes.
My environment wasn't normal - the dungeon cells and the common showers - the living conditions and the bulky men with lots of muscle mass reminding me of ancient times rather than what we experienced in modern civilization.
The abnormality began with the bite to my neck that still hurt with movement, and continued to the magic Yael had used to heal me. These people around me held weird energy around them, but I'd been far too tired to notice it much.
I wanted to go home. To snuggle into the twin bed mattress, close my eyes, and hope this was just a dream. If only it could be a world of my imagination. But as my body helplessly swung like a rag doll, I endured that sickening feeling that things were going to get worse for me.
This is all too much.
We came to a stop, and it felt like I was dropped onto a hard surface. My body was running low on fuel, and even as the pain began to creep through my senses, I couldn't get my limbs to work.
"Take a few blood samples."
"Shouldn't we wa-"
"Are you questioning your Alpha?"
"No, Alpha."
"Be quick. I can't afford any of my enemies finding this wench out."
Wench? Why am I some sort of secret?
My curiosity wouldn't let this one off the hook, and I fought hard to open my heavy eyelids. The prick to my arm was sudden, causing me to flinch and groan as I noticed the sucking motion of my blood leaving my body.
Didn't these people see I was on the verge of death? I'd lost so much blood, barely eaten, and had been abused for senseless reasoning. I just couldn't wrap my head around all of this, and what baffled me further was the reality that no one wanted to help me.
Can't anyone save me?
I realized my thoughts made me feel like such a weakling. Was I really waiting for some knight in shining armor to come and save me?
Those girls I always admired never waited for a man to save them from the madness they had been pushed into facing. I may not stand a chance, but I had to try and get myself out of this situation.
I deserve to have a shot at survival.
Yael's death would be in vain if I perished here. I had to prove to him that I was worth saving.
It took multiple tries, but I finally got my eyes to open. My vision was so blurry, the darkness far worse than when I'd woken up in the corner of my cell in the dungeon. Darkness surrounded me, but I could see a glint of wavering energy, one that grew stronger and stronger as my vision got clearer.
I was leaning against a tree, and I noticed the being next to me in all black, his hands moving to fill multiple vials with my blood. It made me sick to my stomach, the urge to vomit growing stronger, but my gaze peered over to the man standing before me.
He was huge, bigger than any of the men I'd witnessed thus far. His shoulders were broad with muscle as he stood there wearing some sort of cape upon his shoulders. A whimper caught my attention, but I knew that it wasn't from my scratchy throat that was so dry and wounded on the inside.
It took me an added second to notice the massive man's movements, his swaying back and forth making me realize what was happening here.
Is he...fucking someone?
I felt absolutely horrified. Here I was, completely wounded from head to toe while this man's henchman was drawing my blood - my life source that I barely had enough of for myself - and he was literally fucking a woman.
She was familiar, as if she’d been one of those woman back at the dungeon, but I couldn’t determine if she was the leader of that horrendous pack or some other individual who submitted to this man as a form of loyalty.
As the henchman filled the last bottle, the girl cried out against whatever was against her mouth - the muffled sound infuriating this man because he stopped his movements abruptly and tugged on her hair.
He moved to the side in a quick shift of his stance, his growling words low but loud enough for my straining ears to grasp.
"You make a sound again and I won't hesitate to blow your brains out."
He slammed her back down onto all fours, and her body shook uncontrollably as he began to ram himself into her. It was absolutely sickening, and it was taking everything in me to not lose whatever was left in my stomach from four days ago.
I can't lose any more liquid in general or I'm surely going to die.
This poor girl, who was skinner than me, was taking every forceful thrust like her life depended on it. My eyes rose up along the man's side, taking in his 6'3" height, though he may have been shorter because of how wide he was stature-wise.
His arms alone surely were the size of me now, or maybe I was seeing double. His hair was short, a dark red with black highlights, and those eyes of his exhibited the same shade of red.
What was odd was how flawless his skin was. He was clean-shaven, but his face should have been matched with a model rather than a muscled beast that looked like he could destroy anyone in weight competitions.
It was tricky to comprehend; his body was made to be scary while his face embodied perfection that could con anyone into doing his deeds if he was wearing a suit or FaceTiming someone.
His grunts began to grow louder, his thrusts faster as beads of sweat began to run down the side of his tanned flesh.
That was when I noticed the odd sensation in my chest.
It frightened me initially, the constriction of tightness within the pit of my chest making it feel like my heart was being squished. I fought to look away, and yet my eyes wouldn't dare do such a thing, as if I needed to witness the end of this.
Witness what this man was doing to this girl who wasn't even his.
I gritted my teeth to stop whatever mangled sound was desperate to escape me, and I listened to him reach his climax as he gave one final thrust and sank as deeply as he could into the girl.
He had to have hurt her because she screamed into the black cloth wrapped around her mouth, her body convulsing before she collapsed onto the floor. Her eyes were rolled back as she shuddered, while this man pulled out to reveal his veiny thickness.
The sound of something clicking made me look upward, and my eyes widened at the sight of the gold, metallic weapon - seconds before he pulled the trigger.
There was a loud bang like a firework, and the sound echoed around the dark oasis while the smoke from the shot drifted upward from the barrel. It took every bit of me to move my gaze away - to acknowledge that this man had kept his word and this woman's head was blown to bits because she couldn't keep her end of the bargain.
Her headless body still shook, but it wasn't from any pleasure she'd possibly been experiencing. I should have been appalled, and I was on the surface, but there was that constriction in my heart that loosened in glee at the bloodshed.
I was happy this bitch was gone and not interfering with what was ours.
Something had to be wrong with me. A sick flick in my brain processes from all the trauma I was experiencing. But there was no more time for that as the man's piercing orbs of dark red finally acknowledged me.
One look and the tightness expanded through my chest. I growled as energy from nowhere coursed through me like a whiplash to my senses.
I moved faster than anyone could have comprehended - not him, not his henchman, not even my damn self.
The sound of a slap ran through the forest, and my god, I'd never in my entire existence had the boldness to slap any living creature.
Yet here I was, my hand still up to prove that I'd indeed slapped this stranger who'd just killed a woman for moaning at the peak of her climax.
I couldn't register the immense fury burning through my entire core. The raging jealousy could ignite flames that could melt the flesh off this man. How dare he fuck another before me?
The sound of another click and the press of something against the back of my head didn't even faze me. My mind was so enraged by this thing before me that I couldn’t care less if Death was no here to claim me.
The man lifted his hand as if to signal whoever was about to blow my brains out to hold off. Then, he moved that very hand to where I'd slapped, and instead of anger, he showed immense delight.
His smile was villainous, like a cynical serial killer, and I watched his tongue glide along his bottom lip like I was his next meal after days of starvation.
Alright, Death. You can come to take me any moment now.
The fury evaporated and I snapped out of the controlled madness that pushed me to slap this stranger like he was my lover, leaving me to gawk in horror as my eyes widened.
His hand moved far too fast, holding me in a chokehold and lifting me up with ease. I couldn't even scream, hanging there naked in his grasp as those glimmering eyes taunted me. His amusement was clear because his smile never left those dry lips, but as his gaze lowered, it stopped at my chest.
He arched an eyebrow at what he was seeing, and I couldn't help but look at the odd, red glowing skull upon his chest. My eyes widened because it was similar to the one I had on mine, only mine normally held a golden hue to it.
At least, that's what I've remembered as of late. How did I even acquire this tattoo?
In the brink of this fearful moment, I couldn't recall. All I knew was that the glow of its hollow eyes and the bone frame was exactly like his. Like a flashing warning of poisonous death - only mine glowed with golden fury while his burned a tainted red.
I forced myself to look down. Even though this man's arm was in my viewpoint, I could see the slight outlines of the glowing mark, and I watched as the color shifted from golden to the same striking red.
That was when I was hit with emotions I didn't ask for.
A whiplash of confusion, with another whiplash of uncertainty. Booming rage, intense disgust. Lust of different variations, and immense disappointment.
I couldn't decipher where these emotions were coming from or why they were directed at me, but I was certain this man could feel exactly what I was experiencing emotionally.
My dread, animosity, agony, and radiating confusion as to what was happening here.
"So this is why Hendrick decided to forfeit you," he whispered. His voice could have been the representation of irony because I now feared for my life as I began to register that I wasn't breathing. His grip was now tight enough for me to notice.
Instinctively, my hands tried to tug his away, desperate for a gasp of air, and all that did was make him smile. Suddenly, I was infuriated that my desperate desire to survive was being mocked within the hollows of this man's eyes.
My suffering was funny to him?
Once again, he was assessing me, and I saw a glimpse of interest as he brought me up close to his face. "What is hidden in this weak body of yours?" he snarled. "There has to be something if our Goddess wishes to make a mockery of me by mating someone as powerful as I, Kolton Hollows, with an incompetent waste of oxygen."
It felt like he wasn't just peering into my eyes. He was looking deeper, peering past the barriers of the darkness until he was looking at my chained inner self. The intrusion of his gaze made me feel exposed, but now that my hidden self was seen by this sick man, my desire to survive dimmed as my emotions dropped like dead flies.
"Get rid of that body and go get the tests done this instant."
"Yes, Alpha." His henchman was gone before I could acknowledge him with my eyes, but no way would I give in to distraction as my eyes continued to bore into his.
I gave up trying to claw out of his grasp, knowing well that it would be worthless and make me more of a laughing stock than I already was to this maniac of a murderer.
Just like in the cell with Wilfred and Derek, here I hung in this man's grasp, glaring into his eyes with an intense stare that surely would have ignited death if only I carried the ability to do so.
That intrigued him further, but I knew it wouldn't last as I felt the burning of my lungs begging for a drop of oxygen as my vision filled with spots of black. Those deadly eyes narrowed as if trying to determine if I was playing some sort of game, but he knew better.
He could see the resolve I carried underneath my brittle appearance - see the little girl who stared right back into his soul of pitch darkness.
Even if I died here and now, at least my inner self would know I didn't cower to his tune.
He cursed and release his grip around my neck, and my body dropped to the ground like a heavy weight before I began gasping and coughing at the ability to breathe again.
"No one can know you exist," he whispered and began to chuckle.
It wasn't close to an amusing sound, the melody as dark as a sadistic musical.
I tried to move, managing to get on my hands and knees, but I screamed as my hair was gripped and my head was tilted back, forcing me to look as this man crouched down to be at my level.
I was forced to look at him - really look into his pleased expression - and watched him grin in absolute delight.
"I'll admit, you're a mystery I'd love to solve," he confessed as his lips barely brushed mine. My body hummed at the opportunity to kiss this sick bastard, just as my heart beat rapidly against my burning chest.
There was something that connected us, that made me want to stand by this man's side, even though he was not only an enemy in my eyes but a murderer who could never be seen with a weakling like me.
He was far too tainted with darkness, and I was too innocent and naive to survive in this plagued world. Nothing could change that, and I knew without a doubt that we acknowledged the reality of "us".
"However," he began, I could feel the cracks of irony beginning to make their way through this ball of energy in my chest that reacted to his existence. "You'd be a disgrace to me."
He didn't even hesitate to say it as he shook his head.
"I don't have time to unravel your cocoon and see what's inside. You're weak, brittle, a delicate creature I'd most likely destroy with my mere cock. All those competitors who wish to steal what I've worked years to take from my useless brother would go to waste if they knew what connection you carry: that tiny string in our chests."
He used his free hand to slowly trace the outer lines of the skull tattoo and, as if testing his theory, his lips lightly pressed against mine. And holy fuck.
My mind felt like it was exploding, theories and thoughts that were so fucked-up in nature flooded into my mind.
I tried to pull away, my hands clawing at him to let go and stop this madness, but he held me tighter as he pressed further against me.
This wasn't a kiss. It was an exchange of information. And he knew that compared to my fate that was inching closer and closer to the pit of death, he'd carry whatever information I carried.
I could feel his energy roaming through my mind, and I couldn't let him hurt what was in the depths of my subconscious. It was my duty to protect her - just like I was supposed to protect Kyle - and I knew this man's intention was to ruin her.
Like what everyone else did to ruin me.
My body grew hot as he struggled to keep me still, and he gripped my face and a long slash went down my eye. I couldn't even cry out as the stinging move that was meant to blind me only ticked every bit of my burning rage.
I could feel his energy getting closer to the chains, and just one look into those orbs of innocence within my consciousness was enough to trigger something absolutely inhuman.
My rippled scream was followed by an explosion between us that sent me flying back into a tree. The air was knocked out of me as I gasped and dropped to the floor, but I stayed still as it was like my body was entirely on fire.
"You cunt!" The angry snarl from him only made me scream and grip my head like I was in so much pain. I wouldn't deny that I was, but this pain wasn't from the scorching heat thrumming through my being, but the invasion of my mind and the thoughts from his.
"I have to reject her. I can't have this cunt bitch as a mate. Reject her, kill that wolf of hers before it's freed, and pretend she doesn't exist. Destroying the bond would be enough to kill her. Yes, yes. She'll die in a few hours and I can come back and enjoy that luscious body of hers."
My eyes snapped open to meet his, which only revealed his desperation to finish what he started, his words coming out faster than I could comprehend.
"I, Kolton Hollow, reject you as my fated mate."
The words weren't normal.They held a power that felt like bullets crashing into my chest. My entire being stilled at that moment, his words echoing through my mind again and again.
A cry of agony came right from within, and I took that second to peer deep into my mind to see the girl as her eyes overflowed with tears and she cried as though someone was hitting her from all angles.
I should have done the same, shed the tears and admitted defeat in this circumstance between a boss versus a novice, but the vibrating sounds of anguish struck a chord through me, and I didn't fight it.
I let the madness free.
"AH!" My shrilled scream was so loud it could pierce one's ears, but I didn't expect the heatwave that burst out of me. It went in all directions as I continued to scream my heart out. The heat intensified, and I couldn't give a flying fuck.
Let the heat destroy me and the very culprit of my ruthless scrutiny.
The mangled scream was followed with something hitting me with enough force that I went flying back. I didn't just hit a few trees: I split through them like a fireball, soaring through the air with so much force, I wasn't sure when I'd descend onto the ground's surface.
Nothing could slow me down as my speed only increased, but my scream continued to leave a trail of heat, and I began to see what was happening within my mind. My crying self began to tug at the chains, like a child throwing a tantrum, ready to explode.
She pulled, tugged, and screamed in frustration, and suddenly her eyes locked onto mine as they turned scorching orange like she was possessed by the sun entirely. Marks that reminded me of Yael's hands and arms glowed on the surface of her little arms.
The tattered dress she wore lifted like gravity had lost its ability, and her body floated upward with her legs pressed together. They were covered in glowing markings as snaps of fire began to ignite and extinguish just as quickly.
I watched in fascination as I realized this was me, and for a brief moment, I wondered if we could destroy those chains.
If we could free ourselves from catastrophe.
That was when it truly clicked. I knew what had been chaining this poor girl all this while. It wasn't because of my fear of being outpowered, fear of being ignored, or fear of being deemed useless.
I'd been labeled all those things, but that wasn't what I feared the most.
What I feared...was failure.
Traumatized for failing my younger brother, it became my greatest fear of all. That I'd continued to fail if I tried to put forth effort within myself and those I loved and cared about.
Including myself.
Everything that happened after, the continued sexual abuse, the ignorance regarding my boundaries, and how I'd fallen into this constant cycle, was because I feared owning up to myself and having to endure failure.
If I’d fought back against Hendrick and failed.
If I'd fought back whenever Travis wanted to do whatever he wished and failed.
If I'd defended myself against Wilfred and Derrick and failed.
If I’d tried to fight against this man who just rejected me...and failed.
The woman I dreamed of becoming was always a part of me, and in order to grasp her essence, it would start by removing the fear I held so deeply in my heart that it was like a precious toy I couldn't allow myself to let go of.
The chains weren't placed by anyone.
They were placed to protect me from me.
I was so riddled with fear that I’d stopped myself from growing. I'd stopped the child within my heart from seeing her worth, and here was the chance I needed to set her free.
Those illuminated eyes met mine once more, and this time, they widened in shock as I felt my lips curl up like we were now facing each other.
The overwhelming emotion overpowered the emptiness I felt in my chest, and I took advantage as I slowly nodded and said the words I'd craved to release.
"I forgive you."
She stilled for a moment as if confused by my words, and I didn't blame her for they were confusing if you didn't understand their hidden meaning.
I'm forgiving myself.
Forgiving myself for not being able to stop what was out of my control. It was okay to be afraid of failing, but I couldn't let it run my life. It couldn't hold me back any longer.
It was time to be free.
Just with that thought, the chains exploded like shattered glass, and we watched in awe as they rained down and revealed the truth behind the illusion I'd formed with my own apprehension.
I stood before a large wolf, one with white fur that radiated with flames of pulsating power. She was surely triple my size, her head pretty much the size of my body.
Her eyes brewed with a dazzling mix of orange and blue, giving me a piece of my own inherited eye color mixed with the blazing sun of flames surrounding us.
The scar that marked her right eye mimicked mine, and though I'd yet to truly soak in the irreversible damage, I took pride in the scar that reflected what we'd just survived.
I could feel my mind tugging for me to return to the present, as the time in my subconscious that felt like minutes were clearly seconds in real life, but I ignored it all just to reach up and get a moment to fully appreciate the softness of her fur and smile in pride.
"You're free," I whispered like it was forbidden to say.
If this creature of power could smile in return, I bet she would, but instead, she further leaned in until she pressed her head against me, and that was when I heard her voice boom around us - not in a child's voice, but as an adult with authority.
"We're free...broken...but free to prevail. We've been marked by rejection, an outcast of our kind, but do not fear."
Her eyes opened up and their haunting beauty sucked me right in.
"Salvation is upon the horizon...and what's broken shall be healed."
I was sucked back into the present, only to crash into unconsciousness.
Marked by rejection.