Rejected His Miracle Luna (Dorothy and Ignatius)

Chapter 12 -Dorothy-

Ignatius stayed with me for the duration of my heat until the feelings eventually subsided. He lay behind me with his arm slung over my b*dy, hugging me to his chest and occasionally burying his face in my hai

and deeply inhaling.

I'd laughed at him the first few times to which he'd responded that he just couldn't get enough of my scent. I knew what he meant, the haze of musk and sea salt that he exuded settled over me and calmed my senses. If I was a cat instead of a person I would have been purring in contentedness.

The sun had risen in the time we'd been laying there and slits of golden rays shone through the window, illuminating the tiny dust particles in the air. I felt the slow steady. rhythm of Ignatius's heartbeat against my back as we lay still each lost in our own respective thoughts.

Johan had woken up not long after the initial force of my heat had passed. He hadn't said much to either me or Ignatius but promised he'd be back later. I was sad to see him go, but the situation couldn't be helped.

I only hoped that Mavis would go easy on him once she learned that he hadn't managed to reject me yet. I wondered if Mavis would be plotting her own form of revenge against me once she found out. Ignatius stretched beside me and sat up. I rolled a lazily to gaze at him as he smiled down at me. "I've just realized, we completely forgot to call Anita back."

I groaned and put a pillow over my head. "She's probably been so worried. Da mmit."

Ignatius lifted the pillow and pecked at me. "Well, considering you're going to have to stay here for a little longer, I was thinking I could go fetch you a change of clothes and update her on the situation at the same time."

I cringed inwardly when thinking about the disheveled state I had left my room in the day before. Ignatius was right, however, about me needing some new clothes. Spending the night in stiff jeans and a dirty sweater had not been ideal.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you. But /do not' snoop around my room."

Ignatius smirked, "I'm an Alpha, not an as shole. I won't judge your messy bedroom."

I whacked him with the pillow and he left the room chuckling.

-Ignatius-

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The image of Dorothy's grinning face stayed with me as I made my way to the car that had sat parked on the curb outside the clinic all night long. Some kids must have been hanging around earlier because there was a crude drawing of a sharp-toothed wolf drawn in the dust on the back window.

I considered wiping it away but instead drew a smaller, kinder-looking wolf next to it with my index finger. I could feel Tor scoffing at my childishness but I was still high on the scent of Dorothy and the events of that morning.

Telling Tor to can it, I climbed in my car and headed to Dorothy's foster home. Anita swung the door open after just one knock and I paused with a fist still in the air as she yelled at me.

"Ignatius, I presume? So much for getting back to me. I got a call from the clinic this morning to hear that Dorothy is back there again. What happened?"

I propped my elbow up on the doorframe and leaned on it awkwardly. "Anita. Hi. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Anita regarded me coldly before walking back inside, leaving the door open for me to follow her in. She led me into a small kitchen and I noticed a small drawing of a rabbit stuck to the fridge with magnets. Dorothy's name was neatly signed along the bottom. Anita crossed her arms and eyed me warily. "They said you've been taking good care of her. Why is that?"

I shrugged, unsure of how to explain the strong bond I felt with Dorothy, even though we hadn't known one another for very long. "It just seems like she's had a bit of a hard time. Thought she might appreciate the help."

Anita remained skeptical but she said nothing more on it. Although she came off cold and domineering, I could tell she was afraid of me. I couldn't blame her.

The tensions between our two packs had been high for years. It was only recently that we had come to a kind of peaceful stalemate.

That did nothing, however, to fix the unease they must be feeling with outsiders in their territory. Anita was clearly protective over Dorothy, and she was nervous at the fact that the son of the Northern Pack leader seemed to be taking an interest in her.

"Look, I don't have any bad intentions with Dorothy. I just... care about her. I came here today to let you know that she's okay and to fetch her some clothes."

I tried to look as non-threatening as possible as I said it and Anita seemed to relax a little.

She looked me up and down before nodding and turning around. "Dorothy's room is

Chapter 12

this way."

She led me to a small bedroom on the farther side of the house. Anita probably expected me to wait at the door but I strode right in, curious to see the dwelling of the girl who so intrigued me. Dorothy's scent was noticeably strong in the tiny bedroom.

Her small bed was unmade and the sheets draped down to the floor like she'd rolled out of bed in a hurry. The walls were covered in pages of illustrations all hung up with scotch tape. Rabbits and cats, flowers, and a number of different kinds of colorful birds. As well as detailed drawings of wolves.

A stack of well-worn books lay on the table beside her bed with leaves and dried flowers sticking out from between the dog-eared pages.

Pencils and oil crayons were strewn about the floor along with an impressive collection of dainty lace underwear. I wrenched my eyes away before Anita caught me gawking.

She opened up the rickety wooden cupboard in the corner and pulled out a backpack along with a number of clothing items that she began cramming into the bag.

"Did Dorothy draw all of these?" I asked, gesturing to the wall full of artworks, "They're beautiful."

"Yes," Anita answered without looking, concentrating on fitting as many sweaters and vests into the bag as she could manage. "I noticed she had a talent for it so I got her some materials not too long ago." She paused and sat down on the unmade bed. "She hasn't been here for very long. I offered to let her stay after her last foster family had had enough of her."

I stepped closer to inspect the drawings. "She gave them problems?"

"No, not Dorothy. She's a good kid. She's quiet as a mouse most of the time, you'd never even guess she was there."

Anita looked down at the sweater in her hands, twisting the fabric. "Every pack takes care of their orphans without question. But Dorothy is not of our pack. All of her previous foster parents grew restless at raising a child who didn't belong."

I turned to look at her. "If Dorothy isn't from the Southern Pack - the Kall Pack," I corrected myself quickly, It was only fair to refer to her pack by their actual name considering how welcoming she was being. "Then where is she from?"

Anita's eyes were looking far away. "We don't really know. The elders wouldn't elaborate on where she came from, only that her pack had been wiped out. Dorothy is the sole survivor of her people." 3/5

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I meditated on her response. While it was rare for a pack to be wiped out entirely during whatever squirmish it was caught in, I hadn't heard of any major wars that ended in genocide happening in decades. It must have been a subtle attack, kept tightly under wraps by the grand elders. I made a ment al note to ask my father about it when I saw him again.

"What about you? How do 'you' feel about having Dorothy in your care?"

Anita shrugged, standing up and handing me the now overflowing backpack, "I had never wanted children. My mate died before I'd even experienced the mating call and I've been content with being on my own ever since.

"When they asked me to take care of Dorothy I was hesitant at first, But she's a sweet girl, and she's been good company to me. I don't see why her being an outsider is such a major issue for some. She doesn't even remember her pack. Unlike your people."

She looked at me pointedly but there was no anger in her eyes. "Dorothy means no harm."

I took the backpack from her and slung it over my shoulder. "You can come and see her if you'd like. At the clinic. I can give you a lift."

Anita shook her head. "No, it sounds like she's in good hands for now. Tell her I send my regards."

Anita escorted me back to the front door and I paused to bid her goodbye and thank her for allowing me into her home..

She waved my words away. "It was nothing. You be good to her Ignatius," she said. sternly, "Dorothy may not be my daughter but she is a dear friend and I will not hesitate to hunt you all the way back to your home by the sea if you so much as harm one hair on her head."

I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. And there's no need to worry. I'll take care of her." Always.

I was halfway down the street from Dorothy's house when I noticed a small group of girls spilling into the street in front of me. I slowed down and then immediately wished I hadn't when I noticed Claudia among them.

My foot itched to slam on the ignition and run her over as she deserved. Claudia and her little crusade of cruel beauties waltzed up to my car.

She leaned down into the open window, smiling at me sultrily. "Hey Ignatius, darling. We were just on our way to pay our dear friend Dorothy a visit. Fancy giving us a lift?"

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I gripped the steering wheel tightly but managed to keep my tone light. "Now Claudia why would you think I'd be stu pid enough to assume you've had a change of heart towards Dorothy?" Claudia pouted. "We just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. It was a misunderstanding, we were only looking out for Mavis."

"You were only looking out for blood."

Claudia dropped the sickly sweet expression when she heard the malice in my tone.

She stepped back from the window. "Dorothy, and what we do here is no business of yours Ignatius. This isn't your turf. You can't protect her forever."

She jumped backward when I threw my door open and stepped out of the car. I grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her face towards me.

I knew I was crossing a line but these people were pushing too far.

"You stay away from Dorothy," I hissed as Claudia scratched at me, "You and your little

posse.

"This may not be my turf but Dorothy is under my protection now. And if you cross me or her again I won't hesitate to kill you."

"In fact," I pushed my face closer to hers, baring my teeth, "I'd probably enjoy it."

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