You Rejected Me. Remember?

Astrea

“Please stay in touch. I’ll miss you terribly,” Sarah hugged me and then walked away.

“Me too,” I beamed as I returned her hug.

After the pandemonium subsided, we stayed in the Lycan kingdom for a week. Natasha’s sentence was carried out to the end. We didn’t go because we didn’t want to see it. We didn’t think it was worthwhile. The martyrs were interred at the Lycan kingdom’s cemetery, and life gradually returned to normal.

After a week, our team members began to return to their separate packs. Sarah and Allan had to say their goodbyes and return to their pack. We decided to go together because Rafael and Elena were members of the Dark Howl pack.

As they climbed into their car and drove away, I waved my hands. It had been a tumultuous journey. I’d miss my pals, but it was time for Leo and me to return to our old lives and begin taking responsibilities.

I cast a sidelong glance towards Xander. He had changed since the day we learned that Danisha had been taken. He didn’t smile much. He wasn’t even half the person he used to be.

I called, “Xander.”

“Yeah.” he responded.

His boring voice was devoid of life. He had two hollow holes for eyes, and most of the time, looked as though he had given up on life.

“Are you joining us?” I inquired.

“Perhaps a brief break in the pack would be help,” I offered, hoping to alleviate some of his anxiety.

He let out a sigh.

“I’m afraid I can’t. How can I do that when I know Danisha is in danger?”

His glum countenance didn’t change for even a fraction of a second.

“I need to track her down. They’ve harmed her in some way. If she was safe and sound, she would battle her way back. She isn’t afraid of anything. She is courageous. Back then, the Danisha I knew was all I ever desired. I assumed she was going through a phase when I saw some changes in her. I wish I had looked into it more thoroughly,” he looked at us with a mournful expression.

“But the problem is that I’m not sure where to begin. She could be anywhere,” he informed us. He was clearly straining to maintain his bravery.

“I need to find her. I won’t be able to sleep until I finish,” he continued, a long sigh.

“Perhaps a little magic could help?” Leo made a suggestion.

“You know, to track her down?”

As he considered it, Xander’s brow furrowed. After a while, he shook his head.

“I gave it a shot. I asked Amelia when she arrived. She tried to assist, but something was keeping Amelia from locating her. She managed to see the black witch grabbing her and whisk her away to the mountains in the forest’s unclaimed region. But that is all there is to it. She couldn’t track her after that. We would have assumed she had passed away, but her parents are positive she’s still alive,” he explained solemnly.

“It’s like… she is masked by an unseen force. It could only be a work of magic.”

He pursed his lips.

“At least we found some information about that dark witch. She was a hybrid, which means her parents were a lycan and a dark magician. Perhaps she loathed us for some reason for her to attack us like that. Too bad, we won’t be able to find out the real reason anymore,” Xander shrugged his shoulders.

Leo smiled and nodded.

“I don’t know who else could find her if Amelia couldn’t… because Nanna…” he said, his lips pulled into a grim line.

Sighing, “perhaps you might check out the mountains? Maybe you will come across something?” Leo voiced his opinion.

Xander’s eyes glowed for the first time since that day.

“Yeah. Maybe,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll ask my parents. They wouldn’t say no, I believe.”

Elena and Rafael followed us into the car after we said our goodbyes to him. As the car drove away, I watched the magnificent Palace vanish from view.

Leo pressed his palm against my palm. I smiled. I was finally able to spend some tranquil minutes with my mate after suffering through hell. Hopefully, nothing will stand in our way in the future. It had been a tumultuous year. Regardless, we had found our happily ever after, and I wished Xander the same.

As I looked out the window of the car, I saw the palace flags fluttering in the distance. My lips twisted into a sorrowful smile. It didn’t feel right that I was happy while our dearest friend was hurting. I sincerely hope Xander would be able to find happiness.

My mother used to remind me as I grew up that after every hardship comes ease. I didn’t comprehend it back then, but I do now. I wished that Xander, too, would struggle through whatever life threw at him and eventually rise above the clouds, finding the joyful life he so well deserves.

***

Months went by. Our lives had returned to normal. We kept checking on Xander and discovered that he had returned after scouring the mountains but coming up empty-handed. Nonetheless, he was adamant about finding her, no matter where they had hidden her.

I decided to postpone taking over the pack, just as Xander had done, because I believed I still had a lot to learn. In any case, dad would eventually hand the pack over to Leo and I. Then I’d have to decide between a beta and a gamma. Rafael and Elena were already a good gamma pair for me. Leo might be a good beta, but he was my mate. Anyway, I still had time to consider it.

After our packs’ lives returned to normal, Leo and I made it a habit to go for full moon runs in the woods. At times, we were joined by others, while at other times, it was just the two of us. Perhaps on the night I take over the pack, I would go for a run with anyone who would want to join us. It sounded like a fun idea to go on a pack run.

We ran through the trees, as usual, towards the cliff. Every time I went there, it brought back thoughts of that fateful night. But I had grown strong enough to smile and push those recollections out of my mind. It was no longer relevant.

We shifted back to our human forms, and I didn’t bother to cover myself because we were alone. We were lying on the ground, staring up at the night sky. The tree tops were illuminated by the moon’s glittering light as the stars twinkled like studded diamonds. It was a sight to behold.

I sighed, smiling.

Leo drew me closer to his body and kissed me on the forehead. A sigh of satisfaction escaped my lips as the warmth of his body enveloped me.

He inquired, “Thinking of something?”

“Not at all. This location is stunning, yet it holds some unpleasant memories for me,” I told him the truth.

“But that’s fine. Those memories no longer bother me” I hastily added.

He raised my chin, bringing our gazes together. As he stroked his fingertip across my cheek, Ash purred in my head. Everything I could sense were the embers of the mate bond. His aroma continued to lull me into a trance. Nothing else mattered when he was with me. I was where I wanted to be. In the arms of my mate, while no danger lurked in the shadows.

After a little period of silence, he finally chuckled, “I’m so delighted you’re my mate.”

“Me too,” I agreed, giggling.

As our lips locked in a delicate k**s, my heart swelled.

I was a very fortunate girl who had fallen madly in love with her best friend.

~END~