Chapter 5. Rejected

Rihanna’s POV

Prince Chris was my mate. As I had always dreamed. He was my mate. Lana stopped jumping when she saw his confused look become a bit sad.

 Didn’t he want us? How could he be sad to see us? Lana slumped back inside as I walked towards Prince Chris.

 “We are mates?” it wasn’t a question. It was clear we were. I may have a bad sight but not a bad sense of smell.

 I studied his expression. No, this wasn’t the look of a man who just found their mate. It looked hurt but offended. I looked offended as well.

  “You’re not happy we are mates, why?” I asked him. He didn’t look up in my eyes.

 Someone cleared their throat behind and I looked to see the Alpha King towering over me. He was dressed as well, only with black suit.

  The Alpha King looked at us incredulously and I understood he heard me of speaking of mates.

 The Luna Queen walked out, her blonde hair was in a high pony, making her look taller. She looked over us.

  She stared at Prince Chris in the eyes and spoke with him through mind link. I wondered what she said but then she abruptly walked out. Prince Chris sighed.

  “You can’t be my son’s mate! What kind of pair is that?” the Alpha King asked the moon goddess the last part.

  “And why!” I barked. I dared yell at him.

  The Alpha King growled lowly and dragged my hand, “You are a weak wolf! A stupid weak wolf.” Prince Chris pulled his hand from me.

 The Alpha King glared at him and I looked at Prince Chris confused, was he protecting me? Did it mean he was accepting me?

 “If not you’re my Beta’s daughter, I’d have thrown you away long ago! You’re a curse to my kingdom.” the Alpha King scowled. Prince Chris's hands fell off me, I felt cold immediately.

 The Alpha King shoved past his son and walked towards the birthday hall. Prince Chris and I stood there in silence. And it was eating me up.

 “I am not weak, Prince Chris. Train me and I’d be really strong. My wolf is a…” he placed his hands on my mouth.

  Wait, he should hear me out. I had a silver wolf, I was useful to the pack. I wasn’t weak. Lana became jittery and paced around me.

 “He is going to reject us. We’d be rejected by our mate. I knew it. That’s what saddened my heart earlier today. I knew it.”

  I still kept quiet. Prince Chris and I always connected. He couldn’t…

  “I’d reject you, Rih.” he broke my heart, “Maybe you’d find someone else that’d love you but I have to reject you. I’m an Alpha King.”

  My breathing became uneven. The Alpha King’s words echoed in my head. I was weak. I was stupid. Even my mate doesn’t want me.

  And why! No one wants to tell me why I am hated. For destroying Vanessa’s cake as a nine year old? Then I’m sorry. Why would I be labelled with such hate!

  “But you like me.” a lump was in my throat, I telepathically shared my pain with my twin so I'd be able to speak clearly, “And I like you too.”

  His eyes sank, he looked away from me, “Well, that’s how mate pull works, isn’t?” he let out a painful chuckle, “It makes you think you’re in love.”

  His words. I couldn’t believe them. Did he just deem the mate pull insignificant? Lana roared in me and I was scared of her reaction.

 “Let him reject us already. He’s right, we were only interested in him due to the mate pull. He isn’t worth us.” her voice died to a whimper.

She didn’t believe what she was saying, I didn’t know what to believe now.

  Prince Chris exhaled just as Raymond found us in front of the Alpha King’s mansion. With him came my parents, the guests and the pack members. Will I be rejected in front of them? On a day that was supposed to be special to me?

  “Chris! Reject her already!” I heard the Luna Queen’s voice.

 The people gasped and began whispering. Raymond came closer but the Luna Queen growled at him to stop. Prince Chris exhaled again.

  Lana frowned, “Why’s he wasting time?”

 I yelled back at her, “Do you really want to be rejected!”

“I don’t want to be ridiculed, Rihanna. I am a silver wolf. A goddamn silver wolf. Don’t you see they don’t know. If they know, they’d make you stay but enslave you, do you want that?”

  Realization hit me. My pack had forgotten I was a silver wolf or else they wouldn’t reject me. I wiped off my streaming tears.

   “I was only nice to you because I pitied you, Rih. I, Prince Chris Wayne, reject you, Rihanna Sam, as my mate. I’m sorry, may the moon goddess help you.”

 The whispers increased and I saw Princess Vanessa’s head from a window. She had a smirk on. Some pack members had smirks on too.

  They all celebrated my pain. Lana sighed. I don’t know where she got strength from but I felt strength coming in me too. Some guests looked sorry, and my father bowed his head.

  “Fine!” I blurted.

  Prince Chris had been avoiding my gaze but when I spoke, his head snapped to my direction, “What?”

I looked at Raymond whose eyes were already red. “I said fine.” I repeated, looking back at Prince Chris.

 “And I, Rihanna Sams, accept your rejection, Future Alpha King Chris Wayne.” I had a pronounced mocking tone on “Alpha King”.

 The Luna Queen growled and came forward, “That’s bold of you. So there’s some strength in you, after all.”

  I shook my head. Strength she never knew I had. I looked back at Raymond at my parents. My mom, she had an indifferent expression.

  “I’m leaving.” I said to Raymond through our mind link and turned around, walking out on all of them.

   My red dress restrained me, so I tore it out, dropping the piece on the ground. I felt hurt ripping my grandmother’s wedding dress.

  But while it held memories for her, it held sorrows for me. I hate my pack. Damn them! Damn all of them! I had my wolf to protect me.

  Raymond followed behind me. When I heard my dad coming, I snapped back and growled at him. “Don't follow me, Beta.” I had the same mock emphasis, it shocked him. He was the weak wolf.

  His daughter had to face humiliation, face rejection when she was a Beta’s daughter. He didn’t deserve to be my dad. Some better man must have produced me.

  When I got to the house, Raymond helped me do whatever I wanted. Remove my makeup. Trash the house in anger.

 Destroy all my paintings of Prince Chris, mom and dad and finally pack my things.

  He was hesitant, “You are leaving?” it wasn’t much of a question. He knew I would. “You’d be killed, Prince Chris would have to hunt you.”

 Lana seethed and collapsed in me, her last wall of courage failing. He was no longer our mate. Why did he still affect her?

  I sniffed, “Well, then I’d do what rogues do. Fight. But I wouldn’t be like other rogues with no purpose. I’d have a pack. A pack for real.”

  I stared at Raymond's brown eyes as it reflected mine. I was determined and he needed to see that. His twin would be okay.

  I folded the last painting, one of Raymond and threw it into my bag. Strapping behind me, I bounced out of the house.

  “Where we’d I find you? Won’t you like to see my own mate?” Raymond blocked me, his tears free falling. He was the last thing I had here but shouldn’t stop me from leaving.

  “She’d be a good girl. If not, reject her cos even gems can be rejected.” I shoved him aside and continued my way.

  My tears fell from my eyes. I didn’t want to turn back or I could stay.

  “Change your name.” I heard him say. I peeked back, “Change your name. I’d fake your death so no one would come after you.”

  I was surprised at his words. Fake death? Would they believe it after I'd been headstrong? How’d I have my revenge if they think I’m dead?

 “Even better. They won’t know what hit them.” Lana replied slyly. Her voice stronger.

  I nodded to Raymond without facing him, “I will. Thank you. Bye. Protect our weak parents.” I saluted and continued on my way.

  “We are free.”

 “We are free.” I repeated after Lana.

  “We are rogues.” she added. I paused.

  “And that’s not as bad as it sounds.’

  I felt a surge of energy blew through me as I crouched in my knees. Strapping my bag on my shoulders, I tried to shift.

  I hadn’t shifted for almost five years. It was stressful and long and very painful but soon silvery fur covered my arms and legs

  A boundary formed in front of me, one I knew only I could see.

  I suppressed the howl trying to escape my lips. That would attract attention. I couldn’t adore my silver wolf as I couldn’t see myself.

  But I felt powerful with my sharp claws and silvery fur. I was enchanting, I knew it. Lana stressed her paws and made small jumps.

  “You ready, Silver.”

  “I’m Your Silver. Tell me when you’re ready.” my wolf responded energetically. ‘Your Silver'. I repeated it to myself. I liked it.

  “Yes, we are ‘Your Silver'. The only thing strong enough to cause a wolf pain, even Alpha Kings. Lana bounced impatiently and I told her to run.

  She sped like a bolt past the tress that I felt I saw them move. She maintained the speed, breaking stones and twigs under her feet.

  We looked back at the hills we always visited. It was far behind us, as did our pack.

  Today I was a rogue. And not just any rogue. A Silver Wolf rogue.

 The people who hurt me had seen nothing yet, nothing. They rejected a silver wolf but she’d be back.