Rejected His Miracle Luna (Dorothy and Ignatius)

Chapter 5

-Dorothy-

I was in the woods, standing in a clearing under the silver light of a full moon. I felt safe there at first,

bathed in that brilliant glow. I heard something stirring in the darkness of the trees in front of me.

Something dangerous.

The slightest hint of a scent was carried to me by the breeze that hushed through the dark and silent

forest. The scent of Engelwood and pine. The creature in the dark was

approaching. I heard the underbrush rustling as it slowly stalked closer.

All of my senses screamed for me to run, but I was rooted to the spot. I peered into the shadows, trying

to catch a glimpse of the unknown being.

I glanced down at a sudden sharp movement in my stomach. Something in there wanted to get out.

Distracted momentarily by my own b*dy, I looked up again just in time to see the creature with open

jaws lurching for my throat.

I jerked my b*dy upright as I awoke, inhaling loudly, and looked around wildly for the creature from my

dream. Instead, I felt a cool hand on my shoulder and wheeled around, fists swinging, to see Ignatius in

the driver’s seat with a look of concern on his face.

“You okay? Don’t move so much, you’re still hurt.”

Ignatius placed both hands on my shoulders as I continued to shiver, eyes darting all over the place to

make sure the creature wasn’t present, “Dorothy? You were dreaming, okay? You’re safe now.”

I clung to his forearm, I had to make sure he was real. Ignatius allowed this as I collected my thoughts.

After calming down some, I looked around again, “We’re here? How long was I out?”:

Ignatius removed his hands and sat back in his seat again with an odd look on his face.

“Actually we’re just up the road from the clinic. You started thrashing around a little there so I thought I

should stop and wake you. Must have been a pretty bad dream?”

He got the car going again and we sped down the street towards the clinic.

“Yeah, something like that,” I mumbled, then grimaced as all the pain of my b*dy came rushing back to

me at once. Ignatius took my hand and gave it a little squeeze, keeping one steady hand on the wheel.

“We’re almost there. This should be a quick fix. And, on top of that, your own healing abilities should be

activated by now anyway.”

14:46

He had a point. Every wolf-shifter gains enhanced healing abilities around their teenage years, it was

the reason no one ever saw the bruises and grazes dealt to me over time – courtesy of Mavis’s posse

and Lana’s particularly potent left h ook.

Why then was it not working now? The ga sh in my forehead should have been sealing itself up already

but upon close inspection in the rearview mirror, it still remained open and raw,

Ignatius seemed to notice as well. He leaned closer, examining my forehead as we drove.

“Well. That’s not good.”

“What do you mean it’s not good?” My voice betrayed the alarm I was feeling, “What’s wrong with me?”

Ignatius shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea, but we’re about to find out.”

I looked forward and noticed we’d arrived at the clinic. Because wolf-shifters have different healing

abilities compared to the average human, each pack has its own clinic with skilled healers to deal with

whatever ailments our bodies can’t fix on their own.

Ailments like an apparently faulty healing ability. I closed my eyes. Today hadn’t turned out at all like I

had expected it to. I should have just stayed in bed.

Ignatius refused to let me attempt walking by myself. He carried me through the revolving doors and

spoke with the receptionist while I sat mute in his arms, scowling at the wall behind us. If he hadn’t

been so helpful today I would have berated him for babying me in that moment.

A nurse led us to an empty bed and hurried away again to fetch a healer.

“You don’t have to stay,” I said, as Ignatius placed me gently on the crisp sheets and settled into a chair

next to me, “Thank you for everything you’ve done but I think I can handle things from here.”

“I have time to spare,” Ignatius clasped his hands together and leaned his forearms on his knees, “And

thinking about it now, we haven’t even been properly acquainted. You’re a friend of Johan’s?”

I shook my head, a part of me was relieved to have company. And something about this boy was

incredibly compelling to me.

“No. Well, not exactly. How do you know Johan?”

Uttering his name had my stomach twisting painfully and my inner-wolf shied from the melancholy.

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14:16 Thu, 25 Jan – E J

Before Ignatius could answer me, the healer stepped in a short wrinkled woman with tanned skin and

dozens of red beads braided into her hair. She adjusted her glasses and frowned when she saw

Ignatius in the chair.

“You’re not from here boy. You smell of the sea to the North. Don’t tell me you’re responsible for her

injuries?”

“He’s not,” I interrupted before Ignatius could answer, “He’s been helping me. He’s a a friend.”

I didn’t really know what Ignatius was to me but the fact that he was sticking around meant a lot,

although I would never admit it to myself.

The healer narrowed her eyes at Ignatious who raised both his hands in a mock. surrender.

“Very well. Let’s take a look at you then.”

She tilted my head back to examine the gas h, frowning as she did so. “Odd, this should be healing up

already. And I’m told your ribs are hurt too…”

I sat quietly while she poked and prodded and tutted around me, raising my eyebrow at Ignatius who

mouthed back; “Weird old bat.”

I stifled a giggle which in turn had me wincing at the pain it caused me.

“You.”

The healer pointed a bony finger at Ignatius without turning around.

“I will not hesitate to kick you out of here.”

Ignatius leaned back in his chair with a smirk.

After a few more minutes of inspecting me and berating Ignatius, the healer came to the conclusion

that two of my ribs were fractured and I had suffered a mild concussion.

“As for your lack of healing abilities,” she glanced over at Ignatious and back to me, “I can think of a

few reasons why that could be. We need to have a talk in private.”

She shooed Ignatius out while he promised me he would be waiting right outside. After she finally got

him to leave and shut the door in his face, she turned to me, were serious and her mouth pressed into

a thin line.

her eyes

“Dorothy.”

She came to stand before me.

“Have you found your mate yet?”

Her question caught me by surprise, there was no way she could have known about today. I

stammered out a feeble lie in response, asking what she meant by that. She shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me. This is about your healing powers. Did be weakened by a rejection from your true

mate?”

know your powers could

you know

“He hasn’t rejected me!” I protested, louder than I had intended to.

“He hasn’t. Not yet…”

The lump in my throat returned and I was on the brink of tears once again. The healer’s eyes softened

slightly and she sat down next to me on the bed.

“There’s your problem dear. To go on with or without your mate, if the bond between the two of you is

not broken or sealed completely, your abilities will never come back.”

I sniffed back a so b, rubbing my eyes, “What are you saying?”

She handed me a tissue and waited a moment while I blew into it – angry at myself for being so fragile.

“This mate, whoever he is, you have to break the bond officially. If you don’t, things are only going to

get worse for the both of you.”

I dropped my head into my hands. Whatever “worse” meant I doubted it could top what I was already

feeling.

“Your stunted healing is only the beginning,” she continued, gently patting my back. “You have to put an

end to this now before

vou go into heat.”

Heat? I didn’t bother asking, too caught up in my own sadness to care about what it meant for my

future.

After patching up my forehead somewhat, the healer left me on my own for a while to cry. She told me

they had something to help with the pain, but it would only be a temporary fix. I lay curled up on the bed

and let the tears fall.

I had to break the bond between Johan and me. I had no choice, asking him not to reject me yet was

only temporarily avoiding the inevitable. He didn’t want me. There was no avoiding the bitter truth.

I heard someone enter the room and peeked out from under my arm. I was expecting the healer but it

was Ignatius kneeling at my bedside.

“Christ. What did the old bat say to make you cry like this.”

B

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His eyes were sympathetic but I was appalled to be seen in this state. I buried my face. in the pillow

and gulped back the tears.

Ignatius wasn’t having it though and touched my arm gently.

“Hey, Dorothy. What did she say?”

I couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t find the words to explain the pain that I was feeling.

Ignatius hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Does any of this have something to do with Johan? I

know it was his girlfriend’s group who attacked you.”

I lifted my arm to look at him again. It felt like his blue eyes were boring into my soul. The ceiling fan

above us creaked softly as it spun lazily on its axel. I rolled onto my back and stared up at it.

“Johan is my mate.”

Ignatius was silent for a moment. I kept my eyes on the slowly spinning fan. The rusted. wings were

caked with dust from years of propelling air laced with debris from the forest outside.

When he finally spoke, he was perplexed.

my

“Johan… is your mate? Well, I guess that explains his aggression when I

aggression when I put you in car but why were things so stiff between you two? Does he know you’re

his mate?” I squeezed my eyes shut, balling my hands into fists as I relived the moment. “Then why

were you attacked,” Ignatius continued, “and… What about Mavis? Did he end things with her?”

I turned my face to look at him and it seemed that my somber expression was enough to put a stop to

his questioning. I felt a tear roll from my eye and wrestled to keep my voice steady. It was no use

though, It came out like a quiet sigh of defeat.

“He didn’t end things

his mate. He made with Mavis. And he’s not going to. Because he doesn’t want me as

that very clear.”

Ignatius’s concerned expression was frozen on his face as I continued, “Mavis’s friends attacked me

because they saw us together. They knew I was his mate and that Mavis wouldn’t be happy about it.”

I touched the gauze on my forehead.

“I asked him not to reject me today. But if we don’t break the bond completely, my abilities will never

come back. In fact, things are only going to get worse.”

14:47 Thu, 25 Jan B

B

I quoted the healer’s words, my tone flat and lifeless.

Ignatius was quiet beside me, his face inches from mine where he knelt by the bed. I gave him a small,

empty smile and turned my gaze back up to the fan on the ceiling. It spun around and around above

me, creaking softly in the otherwise silent room.