Saving the Rejected Luna

Artemis

Tali and I walked carefully down the grassy slope that led into the human village, and after ensuring that no humans were around, we ran into the small but homey café to purchase our breakfast.

The walls of the café were painted a tasteful seashell pink, and the floors were tiled in eggshell white, the long L- shaped counters were a gorgeous red, and the lady at the counter, who was the owner, looked cherry and happy as she waved cordially at us when we walked through the glass doors.

"Good morning Artemis and Tali. What can I get for two of my favorite wolves today?" she asked, smiling. The woman named Pam Lorrel worked at the café and was also a wolf-like us. She didn't live in the packhouse since she enjoyed the peace of the human village as well as its warmth. Something one can never find in our pack.

She was a small petite woman of forty-one, with dazzling violet eyes, a fair complexion, and short, brown curly hair. Pam and her mate Austin stayed in the human boarding house and often came to the packhouse to deliver herbs and spices to the pack's healer Velma. Pam was like a second mother to me and was the only elder who treated me well besides Garrett.

"Good morning Pam, Tali, and I would like to have three large strawberry croissants and three coffees, please," I said politely as I took out twenty bucks from my pocket. Pam nodded and filled my order while Tali and I browsed through the home magazines stacked in a basket in the corner.

"Order up," Pam said with a smile as she placed the order on the counter. I paid her quickly, and Tali and I waved goodbye as we hurried out of the café, passing a teenage girl on our way.

"We have just ten minutes to get home and eat," I told Tali as we went behind the same tree and shifted. Luckily Pam placed everything in a large basket, so it was convenient to carry. Tali held our clothes in her mouth while I had the basket in mine.

We ran in the direction of the packhouse with five minutes to spare. Fortunately, Barbara was still waiting in front of us. The Alpha and Luna were nowhere to be seen, which was a relief.

Barbra took the basket from me and placed it on the table in the kitchen while Tali and I shifted once more and changed.

We walked into the kitchen, where Barbara laid the breakfast out on three plates.

"No garlic bread, huh?" she asked disappointedly. I shook my head, and she groaned.

"At least we got the croissants, right?" I asked cheerfully in an attempt to cheer her up.

It worked. Barbara's face lit up once more, and she took first my plate, then Tali's, and placed them in front of us. Then she took hers, and we all sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat. We had barely managed to swallow the first bite of the croissant when Alec came staggering into the kitchen with Natalie.

He was shirtless. She was bra-less, wearing only an oversized t-shirt to cover up the breasts that we all knew were fake. Her pants were off, and she was straddling him, her legs wound tightly around his waist while they devoured each other's mouths.

Barbara silently gagged, and Tali rolled her eyes, and both of them went back to eating, ignoring them. I tried to ignore them too, but their moans made it hard to concentrate. Suddenly Alec turned around and saw us sitting there and smirked.

He placed Natalie down and sauntered over to us, his chest and abs on full display. Oh no, please don't. Let us eat in peace, and please don't hurt us.

"Hello, dear sister," Alec said sweetly, making me visibly shudder. I glanced up at him and smiled shakily.

"Yes, Alec, can I help you?" I asked, trying my best not to stutter or show any sign of disrespect.

"Oh sister, are you okay? You look rather pale. Do you need to see the pack doctor?" he asked with fake sympathy. I bent my head and looked downwards.

He fully well knew that Father forbade me from seeing the pack doctor. He said I could heal on my own, and any injuries I got weren't significant enough to bother our esteemed pack doctor. If you couldn't count three broken ribs on two separate occasions, a fractured clavicle, a dislocated shoulder, and a head injury necessary, I didn't know what was.

So with all the courage, I thought I had, I looked up into his devious eyes, orange they were, inherited from his mother - not my mother, his birth mother. When Alec was born, my parents forcefully took him away from his mother. Why? Because she wasn't worthy enough to keep Alec as her son.

And by worthy, I mean, not rich like us, not high in a position like most of our pack members, and too irresponsible. His mother, Alina was her name, lost her mate when rouges invaded our land when I was only a few months old.

They killed several warriors, and Alec's father was one of them. Alec was all she had, and my parents took him. She died of a broken heart a month later. Alec was only five when it happened, and he didn't cry for his mother to everyone's surprise. He didn't even spare her a second glance when my mother picked him up and carried him off.

I was jolted back to reality when I felt a sting on my cheek. I gasped and covered my cheek with my hand, and looked up.

Alec had slapped me. He yanked my hair backward with a growl, and I cried out in pain.

"When I ask you a question, you answer me you a disrespectful thing!" he shouted in my face.

Question? What question? What did I do?

"What are you talking about?" I gasped when his hand latched onto my throat and squeezed it, making my vision cloud over.

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU CLEANED THE ALPHA'S CHAMBERS YET?!"

I gasped, and then it hit me. I zoned out for a while and completely forgot I was supposed to clean the Alpha's chambers.

Hell, I was in for it now. I gasped and tried to make Alec release me, but he only tightened his grip.

"F..forgive me... I was caught up in other matters. I shall get to cleaning the Alpha's Chambers now. Please, Alec, release me," I struggled to speak as Alec's choking me got unbearable, and soon I began to feel lightheaded.

Then he released me, and the force sent me flying to the floor. I gasped and held my throat, trying to get oxygen back into my lungs. Tali and Barbara sat there looking at me, sadness and despair painted on their faces.

They wanted to help me, they wanted to so badly, but Alec was their future Alpha, and they had to obey and not step out of line. I gasped and coughed violently, and Natalie, instead of attempting to help me, she laughed and patted Alec on his shoulder.

"That's right, sweetie, show this disgusting omega who's Alpha. She can't disrespect you and not suffer consequences," she sneered.

Alec scoffed at my weakness and eyed my croissant and coffee on the table.

He smirked and took my croissant, took three bites out of it, and threw the rest in the trash. Then he picked up my coffee and took a sip. Deciding it wasn't brewed to his liking, he turned it over and dumped the steaming liquid over my body, making me scream.

Tali's hand flew to her mouth, and Barbara attempted to pick me up, but Natalie grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.

"Don't interfere, omega!" she hissed in her ear.

Alec laughed and held my chin in his hand, my face was soaked with coffee, and my hair, as well as my clothes, were drenched.

Natalie released Barbara and motioned for her and Tali to follow.

"Make yourselves useful and go down to Ashton Lake and fetch some of the water for me. It's pure and will help soothe my face. I want a full makeover today, there is a function at my parents' place that I must attend, and you two will assist in getting me ready," she said demandingly.

Tali and Barbara exchanged looks of disbelief and looked back at me, lying in a puddle of coffee on the floor, in pain and crying.

"Come on, chop. I don't have all day to sit around and wait. Get your tails down there and do as I say," she snapped rudely.

Barbara and Tali whimpered and bowed to Natalie, leaving their half-eaten croissants and coffee on the table. They had no choice but to obey. If they didn't, Alec would tell my parents, and Tali and Barbara would be publicly whipped at the stage on the center of the courtyard for having disrespected the future Luna of the Emerald Guardians.

They left with Natalie, and Alec remained. I glanced up at him, and he smirked. With a sick, twisted sense of satisfaction, he seized Tali and Barbara's cups and threw their coffee on me as well. It was hot. So hot that I screamed, causing my parents to come barreling in.

"Alec, are you okay, dear?" Mother asked worriedly as she scanned him for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mom, and it's this omega who's the problem. She disrespected me," Alec said with mock hurt.

Oh no. Please no. Dear Moon Goddess, please don't let it happen.

My father growled and kicked me in my ribs with his shoes making me groan. He kicked me again. And again. And again. And with each kick, he shouted at me, saying, "Never disrespect your brother, you slut!"

Tears fell out of my eyes as I begged him to stop. I begged and begged but to no avail. He continued to kick me like I was a punching bag mercilessly.Wait a minute. I was a punching bag. Ever since I was a child, I was his little punching bag.

When he was through with me, he held my chin in his hands and looked at my tear-stained face.

"Look at you. Just look at you. You're an insult to werewolves, a disgrace, a waste of space. Who could ever want a mate like you? You're weak, pathetic, and shallow. Always was, always will be, "

With those hurtful words said, my family turned and left. They left me with my pain, my sorrow, and my hurt. He was right. I was weak, pathetic, and shallow. I gazed into my ugly reflection in the puddle of coffee and shunned away.

Look at me! I was HIDEOUS! Who could ever want a mate like me? Weak. Pathetic. Shallow and ugly. No. I wouldn't give myself false hopes. He was right. I was nothing worth waiting for, and no one deserves a mate like me. Not even the most heartless, most cruel Alpha in the world.