Marked By Rejection by Avery Stone
Discover What I Know I'm Not
"Outcast Hollows Pack," I repeated the words. "Hollow like...Kolt's surname."
Yael slowly nodded, but I could see the bitterness that resonated in his expression at the mention of Kolt.
"Kolton Hollow, who many like to call the Rejecter."
"Rejecter?"
"You'll understand better when we introduce you to the rest of the pack," he began. "But-"
The sound of the door slamming open drew our attention, and before Yael could continue, two individuals came into view.
The first individual was tall, standing around 6'3". He was slimmer than Yael, but he didn't give off the impression that he was weak in nature. I was pretty positive his muscles were hidden beneath the attire he wore that reminded me of a magician of some sort.
His black hair was long enough that I wondered if he was a girl, but his face was masculine, with a sharp jaw and a slight stubble that was beginning to grow into place.
His eyes were unique because they looked sort of pink with hints of purple, almost reminding me of cotton candy mixed with lavender petals.
My right eye picked up a wonderful aura around his body, one that resonated with his eyes with an added mix of blues and greens.
I hadn't yet gotten the chance to bring that up, but I guess something serious was happening because the expression on this man's face told me trouble was upon us.
And I was hoping it wasn't because of me.
My eyes couldn't help but tug over to the second individual - as if their very being demanded the world's attention. One look and you were hooked because this woman's beauty alone was like a threat to the female population.
I'd never seen a woman with pink hair before, but the beautiful locks I'd witnessed in anime and cartoons finally came to life upon the head of this woman. She was 6'2", wearing heels that I questioned if they could be comfortable, while her pink hair was slightly shorter than the males’.
The strands were like a bubble gum shade, while the roots held a hint of black at her scalp. Her porcelain skin was free of imperfections, like she'd covered her entire body with foundations and concealer.
Her eyes were lime green and intense with seriousness, while her lips were cloaked with ruby red lipstick. She was cloaked in black leather, her jumpsuit clinging to her body that was full of curves and muscles.
She could be a Charlie's Angel from the classics because, with one look, you knew she could kick your ass.
"Yael," the woman began, her venomous glare landing on him. "Didn't we say you should check up on the girl and not try to flirt with her?"
The male next to her laughed. "You and I both know Yael isn't interested in anything but his plants."
"What?" Yael questioned and shrugged. "The earth loves me, and, frankly, dating a plant wouldn't be too bad."
"Until you kill it," the woman dryly declared.
"That's what you do," Yael countered, but followed up with, "I was going to contact you two, but I wanted to give Wren some time to adapt. She knows nothing about our world."
"Nothing?" the two of them said in unison before the girl sighed. "That's impossible. She can't just know nothing."
"Though I wouldn't blame her if she doesn't. She was set up," the man offered.
"Set up or not, I'm not fucking babysitting right now."
"Last time you 'babysat' anyone, they died."
"By accident," the girl countered with an exaggerated sigh.
"I said anyone, meaning all ten pups you were in charge of," he stressed. "Which is why Alpha doesn't assign anyone to you anymore."
"If they can't survive walking next to me, they should have died off in the Rejected Forest."
"Do you not have a heart?"
"Do you not have common sense?" she countered.
I just stared between the two of them, noticing how the mystical energies around them would dance and flicker upward when they got riled up in the conversation. Glancing over at Yael, I noticed how he looked at the woman - a hint of curiosity with a pinch of admiration.
And a whole lot of...love?
I never really understood what love truly was because I'd never been in love with someone in a romantic aspect. There was family, which was a different level of love, but maybe Hendrick had ruined my ability to love and that was why Travis and I had an imbalanced power dynamic.
Did I even deserve to be loved?
Who knew if what I was seeing in Yael's eyes was affection, but it was intriguing to notice because maybe that was something I'd been missing.
Looking into my lover's eyes and confirming the love they carry for me is real.
Yael noticed my gaze, his eyes gravitating over to me. He didn't seem embarrassed to be caught. Not in the slightest. He simply smiled, and I couldn't help but whisper, "Why not try?"
The way his eyes softened rekindled that glimmer of sadness.
"Being rejected once is enough for me," he admitted and looked toward his missing arm. "One day."
My gaze had followed his, and when our eyes met once more, I slowly nodded.
"One day," I repeated, hoping it would emphasize a promise that he'd try when he was ready to reveal his true feelings.
"Are you two having a moment?" the guy asked, diverting Yael’s attention to him as he smirked. "We can come back?"
The girl elbowed him, and he groaned and almost toppled over.
"We're not coming the fuck back! No more of 'Wasting Beta Lilith's Time'. I have shit to do and fights to break up."
"Another fight?" the guy groaned. "Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between our pack and Kolt's."
"Kolt’s pack kills one another for sport. Our pack members attempt to kill one another when Alpha isn't looking. There's a difference," the woman, who I now assumed was Beta Lilith, noted. "Now, Zen, are you going to tell Alpha that you're delaying us, or are we gonna get moving?"
"Ah, don't throw me under the bus like that," Zen complained and looked over to us - or specifically to me. He seemed pleased with my appearance.
"How are you feeling?"
"Alive," I quietly stated. That made him laugh as he walked over to the other side of the bed to greet me with a handshake.
"Pleasure to see you're alive. We almost lost you in the forest, but Alpha was pretty confident that you were a fighter. Somehow you made it here so that Yael could heal you," he revealed. "Beta Zen of Outcast Hollows Pack. A pleasure to meet you..."
"Wren," I introduced. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Stop speaking so quietly," Beta Lilith barked as she crossed her arms to give me an up-and-down glance. "You're not a child."
"Lilith," Zen groaned as he let go of my hand after I gave him a firm shake. "Cut down the intimidation movement, would ya? She's allowed to be fucking freaked out when she knows nothing about our world. She's like a clean slate."
"Just because a whiteboard is empty, that doesn't mean there aren’t a whole lot of problems to be solved," she tossed back. "I don't care if she's new to this world. When I joined the pack, we were in the middle of a fucking war and I had to learn how to fight for my life in two minutes."
"Ya, but you had self-defense experience, Yakuza Princess," he returned. "Your Asian privilege is showing."
"I'm HALF Asian!" she snapped. "And privilege my foot! Should I summon my damn sword and shove it up your ass?!"
"You tried that last time and we know it didn't go well," Zen offered like he was implying something else that made Lilith's cheeks grow red while her eyes gave off a deadly energy that could probably kill everyone in this room without much thought.
"Didn't know you two were dating," Yael noted. My gaze peered over at Yael. He didn't seem hurt by it, but Zen laughed not a second later.
"Oh no no no no," Zen emphasized the multiple "no's" before adding, "Lilith and I would never be a good combination. Do you see this power dynamic? You can't cause she overpowers me like a fucking pandemic wiping out half the human race."
Beta Lilith moved so quickly that I questioned if I'd just hallucinated, but with a blink, Zen was grabbing his crotch and literally crying.
"I'm sensitive there, you bitch!" he sobbed.
I couldn't help but gawk while Beta Lilith was back in her place and ignoring him like he was being an overdramatic drama queen, her seething eyes on me.
"Are you well enough to see the Alpha?"
All I could do was nod, her aura pretty much taking over half the room like an hostile cloud.
"Beta Lilith," Yael began, "you're literally intimidating her to say yes."
"Well, she should-"
"When you've been kidnapped by the only two people you think care about you in this vast world, abandoned and hit by a truck, somehow survive a burning car to wake up in a dungeon, treated like a degraded being upon this earth, forced to watch an acquaintance of yours die before your eyes, starved and jumped in the shower, forced to confront Alpha Kolton who scars you physically and emotionally, and almost succumb to death, I think one would have the right to not 'suck it up' and genuinely need a moment to breathe before being tossed into a new world. Don't you think?" Yael summarized what I'd explained to him after our emotional talk.
I noticed he'd left out the "rejection" part, but his summary shut Beta Lilith up real quick.
Zen had recovered and I noticed his intense gaze on me as he took in Yael's words.
"If you need more time, Wren-"
"Is your Alpha...like Kolton?" I interrupted without looking at him - or anyone, for that matter.
"No." Yael was the one to answer. "Alpha Killian is the polar opposite of Kolton."
"Though they look a tad similar," Zen noted as if to warn me. "Kolton and Killian are twin brothers."
"What?" I lifted my head up to stare at him with wide eyes. "T-Twins?"
"It's complicated," Beta Lilith spoke. "You can learn more about that from Alpha."
Zen rolled his eyes. "What she means is that it would be best if you get the whole explanation on the paranormal world, our pack, and Alpha Killian as you slowly adapt to your new home."
"New...home?" I whispered.
"You'll be staying here with the rest of the pack. Alpha will explain it to you if he has the time. He'll spare a moment if you're up for it, but he has meetings to attend to and can't be wasting precious time while you figure out if you're 'ready' for him or not," she harshly stated.
"Seriously, Lilith. Are you on your period?" Zen asked and ducked in time to avoid the three kunais that almost stabbed him. "You know, you still have anger management issues. I'm telling Alpha."
"Go ahead! Tell him! I dare you," she snarled, not caring about his threats.
"I can't stay here."
They all looked at me as I stared directly at Beta Lilith. She seemed like the ultimate decision-maker here, so I had to make sure I emphasized my point.
"What?" she questioned with an eyebrow raise.
"I can't stay here," I repeated loud and clear.
"And why is that?" she inquired even though her face told me that she really didn't like my defiance.
"I can't just abandon what I was doing," I voiced in hopes I could get past the obvious.
"You're dead," Beta Lilith revealed, which made me frown while Zen groaned and pinched his nose.
"Lilith."
"What now? We're going to baby her like she's a child? Might as well tell her the damn truth," Beta Lilith snapped. "The car you were in? Burnt to a crisp. You were identified as being in the car since pieces of your clothing were discovered and you’d obviously been missing for more than a week. Since there were no immediate family members, the town simply held a small ceremony of your life and gave you a tombstone."
"What about my stuff? My studio," I voiced. She somehow managed to hear what I'd said, even though it was barely audible to my own ears.
"Probably cleared out by-"
I was really surprising myself with this ability to move before my brain processed anything because I was already out of whatever medical house I'd been recovering in and in a forest I had no familiarity with.
"Shit! WREN!" I think it was Zen who called out to me, but I was already running faster to try to get back home - wherever home was from here.
I had to get back and grab my stuff before they threw it out.
They can't get rid of Kyle's ashes.
The mere thought made me bite my lip hard while tears blurred my vision. Why hadn't I tried to get out of this mess faster? It hadn't crossed my mind that I'd be considered dead. And that meant everything I owned and had worked hard to collect all these years would be worthless junk to another.
I ran into a clearing, unsure where to go, but something caught my wrist and I whipped back to see Yael, who was gasping for breath. I was going to try to tug away from his grasp, but the sight of him and the brewing fact that he'd somehow managed to catch up to me encouraged me to take a damn second to think straight.
"Wren, wait," he panted.
"Kyle," I whispered. "Kyle's urn."
His eye widened at my admission, and then he nodded while squeezing my hand tightly.
"Calm down for a second. Let's tell Alpha. He can do something."
"What if it's too late?"
"It's not," he assured me and let go of my hand to grip my right shoulder. "He may have grabbed everything of yours already."
"But Kyl-"
"Alpha knows what an urn looks like, Wren," he stressed but continued to the main point. "If someone survives the Rejected Forest, Alpha Killian ensures that he retrieves whatever possessions they owned before the human investigation wraps up. He did that when I arrived a few days ago. My recovery wasn't as long as yours, but I'm pretty positive he would have retrieved your belongings."
"You just met him. You don't know for sure!" I was honestly just panicking, and Yael knew that as he squeezed my shoulder so I'd take a moment to focus.
"When you meet Alpha Killian, you'll know," he reassured me. "But we won't be able to confirm that everything is okay if you don't see Alpha Killian while he has some spare time. He's not normally here, so you have to take advantage of this opportunity."
I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything more that could delay us, just as Zen arrived. "Jesus! Fuck, I'm not even religious but shit. What kind of inhuman speed do you possess?"
He darted his gaze at both of us before pointing at Yael. "Since when can you run that fast? You don't run like that in morning training."
"No one performs like that at five in the morning," Yael complained, his expression emphasizing his disgust at the mere thought of mornings. "And I was scared she'd get hurt."
"Why would she get hurt?" Zen questioned.
"You know," Yael stressed, but Zen wasn't picking up on whatever he was trying to hint at.
"Know what?" Zen pressed.
"FUCK! MOVE!"
All three of us turned our heads in the direction of the sound – and our eyes locked on the massive shadow creature stampeding towards us with Beta Lilith shortly behind it. Zen and Yael cursed and got out of the way, but I was frozen in place, which was about to get me fucked up.
"SHIT! WREN!" Yael snapped and reached out with his left hand. The creature leaped at me but crashed right into a wall of earth that shot out in front of me protectively. I moved a few steps back, looking back at Yael to confirm he was the culprit behind the protective fortress that began to spread on both sides, creating a wall between us and whatever was maniacally clawing at the barrier.
"For fuck's sake," Zen groaned in pure annoyance. "Why the fuck is he attacking her?!"
He had to be screaming at Beta Lilith because she was the one who replied.
"MONARCH!"
"What?!" Zen questioned, and his head darted my way, just like Yael's did. "Full name!"
I decided to answer because he was clearly referring to just me.
"Gwenivere Monarch," I announced, and I could see the horror and utter confusion that morphed on their faces before the wall exploded and sent a rush of black wind that lifted all of us off our feet and further outward.
I crashed onto my back, which ignited a hiss from my lips as pain shot through me. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to sit up to check on Zen and Yael, noticing how they scrambled to get up.
Yael looked at the massive creature before his panicked eyes darted my way.
"WREN! RUN!"
He didn't have to tell me twice. I scrambled up and began sprinting forward. A howl pierced the air, igniting a wave of shadows to shoot outward into the forest. With a few short blinks, the world around me was pitch darkness, but that didn't stop me from running as my speed got faster and faster.
I was frightened to even breathe as I purposely cut off my air supply, needing all my senses to catch onto the approaching threat desperate to capture me. I was running solely off my instincts, and that freaked me out more because I'd never been able to respond like I was now.
The world of darkness should have frightened me, but it felt like I'd unlocked a world that worked in my favor.
As if I’d always been prepared to fight against all my enemies in the pits of the darkness.
I sought within myself as I continued to run forward, and there was the big white wolf, waiting patiently for me to notice her. Her eyes calmly opened, as if she weren't panicked by our circumstance in the slightest.
Her orbs were blue like mine, filled with wisdom and not the slightest bit worried about what was desperately trying to kill us.
You're not afraid?
I took a chance to try to speak with her, and she easily understood - and responded.
"You won't let him hurt you," she said, as simple as that. "The flow of survival."
The flow...of survival?
There was something about that title that made me feel like it was a secret lesson, one I'd learned and yet I couldn't grasp within my consciousness. A simple snap of a branch triggered me to come to a stop, and as I skidded through the mud and dirt, I spun my body around - in time to put my hands up in preparation for the full-blown tackle that crashed into me.
This creature was massive, and I knew the moment I crashed and skidded through the muddy ground that I'd probably broken something.
A lot of things.
Pain shot through me like a wild infection, but instead of screaming or crying for help, I gritted my teeth to silence any sound from leaving me. This creature blended perfectly with the shadowed surroundings, but my right eye could see its furious aura of red.
This thing was triggered by my mere existence, and I didn't have the time to try to figure out why. I lifted my feet the moment I came to a stop, and with as much lower strength possible, I kicked at the wolf, which surprisingly sent him flying back.
It spun through the air just to land on its four paws, and its howling growl was such an infuriated sound that even my wise wolf was ticked off by it. She suddenly approached forward, and with the slight opening of her mouth, she growled in warning.
Compared to the effortless sound that left her lips, my growl boomed through the forest as I suddenly clenched my hands into fists as if to stop myself from losing my mind entirely. This creature wanted to fight. I wouldn't hesitate to do so and the sound of my growl was confirmation that if I dared let go of the reigns, this thing would suffer the wrath of my chaos.
My warning was clearly not enough for the creature as it knelt to the floor to prepare to dart forward. For a moment, it felt like I wasn't in the forest.
I now stood in a different part of a forest, and I was only a little girl. I stood in the same stance, hands clenched, eyes focused on my prey, but my hair was up in two buns while my lips were curled up in a prideful grin.
"What do Monarchs do when they're forced to confront their prey, Gwen?"
I giggled at the question as my eyes narrowed in sinful desire.
"We kill, Mama."
The memory flashedbefore my eyes, and I was smiling just like the little girl as my vision heightened tremendously.
Heat thrummed through me as the same joyous sound with a hit of cynical mischief glided through the air for anyone to hear.
A warning.
"We kill, Mama," I whispered with a gleaming smile. "That's what Monarchs do."
The scorching burning within myself rushed outward, and it was the first time I felt flames lick my flesh like a warm blanket brushing along my skin. But instead of igniting fear through me, I felt alive.
So fucking alive.
I wasn't sure who I was in this element of sheer force, but my dominance pulsed through the dark space, the heat growing immensely as the shadows began to play to my tune. The creature that was ready to confront me began to whimper as if it realized the sudden shift in dynamic and feared what I'd do next.
The reaction made me feel like I was on cloud nine. The waves of empowerment the mere sound of surrender to my thrumming heart that made me want to prolong this.
To leave them trembling for mercy, the perfect sight of one's prey before its predator.
Something called to me then - eternal voices seeking to grasp my attention for one solid moment - but I pushed the sounds further away as my ears yearned to hear the sound of submission one more time.
My gleaming smile widened to show my white teeth, and I took a step forward as my eyes narrowed solely on the wolf that seemed far too small. I was ready to get rid of him for daring to threaten me, but I noticed the shift in the air.
"Demonstrations are over," my wolf quietly noted.
Her words made me pause in my debate, just as something soft touched the right side of my cheek. I don't know why I didn't flinch from the touch.
Instead, I melted at its chilled surface that seemed to tame the harness of the swarming heat.
My vision was still cloaked with the thick haze of the shadows, but a voice was able to pierce through, the deep hum making my flesh prickle with that familiar sensation from the past.
The bubbling emotions of passion shot down by rejection.
The hollowness in my heart sought to make me dwell within the past emotions, but this new energy submerged my core with a cooling orb of hopefulness. I'd never felt such a wave of calmness run through me, not since I was a child and my family was still whole and not tainted with darkness.
The shadows in my vision began to fade away, just as the hallucinated fog dissipated so I could see clearly.
"Wren?"
As if hearing my name had suddenly clicked my vision into gear, the last bits of darkness parted away, revealing a sculpted man that was surely shaped by the damn gods of this world.
I could immediately see the similarities of this man to Alpha Kolton - the bulky frame, broad muscles, and intense aura that danced around his structured frame. But in comparison to the villainous fiend that sought to ripe me to shreds, this man oozed compassion as his eyes bored into mine.
Those jewels radiated a striking red with hints of orange - reminding me of a glorious sunset. But that wasn’t what captivated my attention.
His scar did.
A single line went down the middle of his left eye - the exact mark of rejection that I carried. The sight of it extinguished whatever I'd been attempting to do seconds ago, my attention completely captivated as emotions of interest, curiosity, and specks of happiness sparked through me like fireworks.
It felt beyond different from what I'd experienced when I was confronted by Kolton, and maybe that was why I felt extremely confused.
And suddenly really tired.
As if my mind had finally caught up with my body, my eyes drooped as my limbs lost all their strength, but this man already had me in his grasp, and thank goodness he did because I couldn't handle being vulnerable to a stranger.
Oddly enough, this man was a stranger...wasn't he? Then why was it so easy to relax into his arms as exhaustion overtook my senses?
I tried to claw out of the clutches of the inching darkness within my subconscious, feeling the heaviness of sleep as it fought to claim me. I felt bits of anxiety and fear thrum through me, especially when I'd been in such a dangerous situation prior.
My attention moved to my wolf, and she sat there calmly as if she had no worries about us losing consciousness.
As if sensing my struggle, she lifted her head from her front paws and bobbed her head just slightly in encouragement, but I still hesitated to let go.
"Rest, Little Bird." The deep voice didn't come from her, but the comforting voice of authority didn't sound as controlling as I bet it could have been. "No threats shall harm you."
The smartest thing to do is not believe him, right?
Yet, my mind took his permission as a blessing in disguise, and I couldn't fight the battle any longer. A blanket of slumber snuggled me into its sheltering hold.
I've discovered what I know I'm not.