Rejection Denied

“You look bored.” I adjusted my head in my hand and yawned. Damn straight I’m bored as hell. Alpha Orion chuckled, “What is this not enough action for you? Shelby literally has Cory in a headlock.”

I look toward the stage. “Mmm.” I shrugged

“Whoa, did you see that? Corrine just came back with a sharp elbow to Shelby’s ear.” Orion clapped. “Wow, this is one hell of a fight. But I heard your's was much better.”

“Look around dude.” I pointed around the stadium. “Do you see how thin this audience is? My fight was the highlight of this event. These other rounds are for those who placed a bet on these weak bitches.” I pointed at the champions throwing punches at others.

“Hmm, I heard your fight with Nova was deadly.” Orion crossed his arms and leaned toward me. “Your competitor is alive, by the way. She is a talkative little pest, but she won’t be talking anytime soon. It’s too bad though. If it was me in her place, I’d rather be dead.”

I shrugged again. “Nova is annoying as fuck. But I didn’t purposely try to kill her.” I looked over at Orion. “If I wanted Nova dead, she’d be dead. I can’t control my anger when I reach a certain state of mind.”

“Oh, don’t I know it.” Orion laughed. “Aviry, you remind me of someone very dear to me. She was…temperamental, just like you are. The slightest thing could set her off. And we all knew to steer clear when she found a target to prey on.” His face became stoic as he looked off in the distance.

“But we fought all the time. I can admit now that I was the aggressor. I purposely tried to anger her. And over time, she realized that I was toxic.” We sat there for a moment until Orion cleared his throat. “But, she was smart enough to kick my ass to the curb. And I’ve been working on myself over the years.”

I scoffed, “If it takes years to detoxify yourself, then I’m fucked.”

Orion looked over at me. “Why would you want to change yourself? My aggression comes from a mix of problems. But yours is somewhat natural. It’s normal for a dire wolf to be combative or badass.” He smirked and nudged my shoulder. “Be yourself, Aviry.”

“A little change isn’t bad,” Mia said. “You can still stay true to yourself Aviry. But evolving into a leader requires some adjustments.”

I sighed. “But what’s the point, Mia? I have you and Cay already, fuck everyone else.”

“We already discussed this. If you want to be an alpha, you need others by your side Aviry.” Mia huffed.

“I’m already an alpha.” I ignored Mia and focused back on Orion.

“Look.” Orion pointed toward the arena.

Alpha Sam stood in the center of the stage, “And the winner of this round is Shelby Young.” He held up her arm, and the crowd cheered.

She looked to Sam and turned her head sharply up at me menacingly. Shelby snatched her hand away, and pointed one finger at me, cutting another across her throat.

“This bitch..” I mumbled.

Orion leaned in closer to me, “She’s challenging you.” He whispered in my ear. “You killed her alpha, and she wants your head on a spike. You know what you need to do, either set her straight like you did Nova.” He chuckled, “Or kill her.”

“Don’t tell me what I need to do!” I snapped. “Her threats don’t mean shit, and I’ll prove that in the next event. If she comes for my head, I’ll rip her damn arms off. I know how to defend myself, and if I have to get my hands dirty, then so be it.”

“Good, keep that same energy for the battle royale. Don didn’t plan much, but I have big plans for you—” He cleared his throat, “And the other champions, of course.” Orion leaned back in his chair. “Ok, round two is over. So who’s next?”

“Well, that was boring as hell.” Alpha Sam said into the mic.

We just witnessed Brittney and Heather’s round where the latter won. There’s not much to report there. Brittney broke a nail five mins in and forfeited the match.

“Let’s take a lunch break; afterward will conclude this even with the final round.”

Both Orion and I stood from our chairs. I stretched my arms and moved to walk past him, but he stepped in my way. “By the way, I meant to thank you.”

“That’s…rare,” I said suspiciously. “For what?”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out two small baggies. “For the hair. Denver gave it to me this morning. I’ll have the test done as soon as possible. Hopefully, I can shed some light on your past. Maybe we’ll be able to locate your parents—”

I held my hand up, “You can keep that shit to yourself. My parents didn’t want me, so I don’t want them. I’ve seen this scene in a movie. You find my parents, they’ve been looking for me ya da ya da we get reunited then the shit hits the fan.”

“Mmm, Annie?”

I nodded, “Damn straight. That movie gave me false hope while I was in foster care. But look, the foster kid still made it out okay-ish. No family needed.”

Orion pressed his lips together and nodded. “I understand.” He moved to the side, and I walked forward, “But remember Aviry. Even though she was tricked, Annie found her true family in the end. I have a feeling that your story will end the same way.”

I shrugged, “Well, it’s either that, or you know…” I pointed toward a seething Shelby. “She kills me.” Don’s former champion has been planning my murder for the past thirty minutes.

I Laughed and made my way down the platform. While crossing the yard, the scent of mint rapidly approached from behind.

“Aviry!” Nixon shouted. “Wait up.”

I hastened my steps and covered my ears.

“The sun will come out, maybe tomorrow. But it’s definitely not today, so I’ll just hold out till tomorrow.” I sang loudly. Nixon’s hand landed on my shoulder, and I continued humming to myself.

“What are you singing,” Nixon asked. “Never mind that, what did you say to Cay?”

I stopped humming and looked at him, confused. “Why do you think I said something to him?”

“Because he only mopes around for one person, and that’s you.” He pointed at me.

I scoffed and pushed past him. “Maybe he’s tired of being around you. I mean, I’ve only known you for a month and I can’t stand being around your ass.”

Nixon caught up and walked along with me. “Cay and I are brothers. Blood bound to each other, you—”

“You’re missing the point.” I opened the door to the house. “Any connection to you is a shitty way to continue on in life. Now please fuck off.” I closed the door behind me and locked it just to irritate Nixon. I don’t want him to follow me on my search for Cay.

Instead of eating, I’ve been on the hunt for my mate. Room after room, and I still can’t find this man. I can’t pick on his scent either. Where the hell did he go—

I ran down the second floor and rushed toward the back door. I know where he is. After pushing through the double doors, I crossed the yard and sprinted toward the forest.

“Mia, we need to shift. We’ll get there faster.” Mia grumbled and huffed.

“Oh, so now you want to speak. You ignored—”

I sighed. “Can we not do this now?”

“Fine, Aviry!” Mia barked.

I stopped running and, Mia quickly took control. The shift was quick, but this time there was a sharp pain that shot between the two of us. But Mia shook it off and continued running.

“Do you know where—”

Mia huffed. “Of course I do. Cay is my mate too. And I agree with Nixon if what he’s saying is true. I’m sure you caused it in some way.”

“Damn, Mia.” I snapped. “Tell me how you really feel. When I last spoke to Cay, we were on the same page. If he’s upset about something, it’s not related to me. But regardless of that, you are supposed to be on my side.”

Mia snapped her jaws and growled. “But are you on my side, Aviry?”

“Of course, I am.”

“Then stop shutting me out. Every time you disagree with me, you ignore me. I’m not your conscious I’m your partner. We think together.” Mia growled. “Now, tell me how you feel when I treat you the same way.”

“Wait, Mia—”

Our connection went silent. Mia continued weaving through the trees and jumping over all debris in her way. Her powerful paws pounded against the earth as we made our way to Cay. The forest around us was beautiful and relaxing. Mia climbed the side of the mountain effortlessly. I could hear the waterfall in the distance, but we need to go further.

I’m going to miss the next round. But it doesn’t matter. Cay matters. And the sooner I see him, the better. The anxiety was building as we approached the abandoned train yard. I can smell the chocolate in the air. Mia whimpered and slowed down as she stepped down on the gravel. She howled out loud; her voice vibrated the metal of the abandoned train cars.

A low growl sounded from our left. Mia looked over to see Arrow emerging from the debris of the destroyed building. My wolf slowly stepped forward, sniffing at her mate. They nuzzled and licked each other’s faces. Arrow stepped back and howled before shifting and giving control to Cay.

“Hi, Mia.” Cay said softly, scratching behind her ear. “Do you mind if I talk to Aviry, alone?”

My stomach twisted at those words, and if I had control of my ass, it would be clenched. It sounded like a bad start to a conversation that no one wants to hear. My mind is playing the worst scenarios like an old film reel, and I’m trying to incinerate each image.

My wolf whimpered and licked the side of Cay’s face.“Whatever you said, Arrow and Cay are both very upset.” She gave me control, and we shifted; the sharp pain was more evident this time. “Fix this, Aviry.” Mia snapped.

Ok, yeah. But like, what the fuck did I do? Here we go again, another person leaving my life. But, Cay and I are on good ground; he promised to stay. And we just started our relationship. We didn’t give it a chance to blossom. No, this is my fault. Like always, I did something. Did I push him away somehow? No, Nixon definitely planted something in his mind. Or did he realize that—”

“Aviry, stop.” Cay placed a large hoodie over my head, and I pulled my arms through. “I can tell your overthinking.” I blinked a few times and looked at a fully dressed Cay. “Why are you crying?” He reached up and wiped my eyes.

Why am I crying?

“I…I…I” For once, I didn’t know what to say. I don’t know why I’m crying. And why the hell is my heart constricting. And my breathing…

“Breathe Aviry.” Cay pulled me into his arms. And that was the key to my lock. I began to pant and wail. My body shook as I cried into Cay’s chest. Over and over in my head, “What did I do wrong?” I fell to my knees, and Cay came down with me.

He rubbed soothing circles on my back. “Aviry, we need to talk about us,” Cay whispered into my hair.

No. No, I can still fix this. I just—I…I…what did I do wrong?

“I’m sorry.” I cried out. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Cay.” I buried my face deep into his chest. His chocolate scent was intoxicating, but instead of calming me like usual, It only made me sadder. He’s going to reject me, and this is the last time I’ll get to smell this.

“Aviry—”

“No, I can fix this.” I pulled Cay closer. “Please don’t leave me, Cay. Please don’t leave me like everyone else does. Don’t give up on me, Cay. I can change, I’ll do better, I’ll—”

Cay pushed me back, “Aviry!” I looked up to my mate. His beautiful grey eyes were fixated on mine, “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not leaving you.”

“But...but you said—” SNIFF. I shakily inhaled through my nose. “You said you wanted to talk.”

Cay nodded. “Yes, Aviry. I want to talk about us. I wanted to discuss our future titles.” Cay chuckled as he cupped my face in his hands. “Oh, goddess, I guess I should’ve picked my words better.”

Oh, how the mighty fall. Damn you, Aviry Mills. What the hell is wrong with me? Why the hell did I intensify this situation with no evidence of fault of my own? It’s all Cay’s fault, the chocolate scent, and the kind words. The goddamn Jim Carrey Movies, and the picnic dates.

I’ve fallen for this man, and the thought of losing him, drove me to do the impossible. I begged, cried, and apologized. I even pulled the “I’ll change” card from my pocket like a desperate bitch.

“Mmm.” I wiped at my eyes. “Yeah, I was just rehearsing for a skit in the next event.” I cleared my throat. “Orion wants to incorporate drama, so how did I do?”

“Oh, I see.” Cay nodded. “These are the tears of an actress. I totally understand now.”

I wiped my forehead. “That…that is great. I’m very good at convincing—”

Cay pushed me down on the ground. “I also joined this “drama” for the next event.” Cay pushed my hair to the side, “It’s a kissing scene.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. But here’s the problem. I forgot how to kiss.” Cay pecked my lips.

I narrowed my eyes. “That sucked.”

“I know.” Cay hovered his mouth over mine. “Help me practice.”

Cay pressed his lips against mine. I gently parted my lips, allowing full access to Cay. Our mouths moved in sync to the beautiful music of the forest. My mate ran his finger over the sides of my face, pulling away from the kiss, gently nibbling on my bottom lip.

“How was that?” He asked softly, pressing kisses on my neck.

Once I caught my damn breath, I ran my fingers through his hair. “That was much better.”

“Yeah?” He softly bit my neck, but not enough to break the skin.

“Yeah.”

Cay pulled up and looked into my eyes. “Good. When I practice my scene with Nova I’ll make sure she—”

I clamped down on Cay’s shoulder and growled. “You kiss that bitch, and I’ll scrape her damn lips off with a peeler and scrub them with alcohol. And we both know she likes to talk way too damn much. So then she’ll have you to thank for—”

“Damn, Aviry.” Cay laughed. “I was just kidding. I won’t kiss sleeping beauty and bring her back in time for the next event. You know my lips, my hands, and everything else that makes up my being is yours, and only yours.” Cay kissed my cheek. “You’re one lucky girl.”

He sat up and pulled me along with him. “Now, back to what I want to talk about.” I sat beside Cay, and he pulled me closer to him. “Since you’ll become an alpha after this competition, what role will I play in your pack?”

“Wait.” I looked at him, “You’re going to join my pack?”

Cay nodded. “Of course. Where you go, I follow.”

I picked up a rock and tossed it at the train car. “But what about Nixon? Your blood bound to him, if anything happens—”

Cay sighed. “Nixon is a big boy; I can’t live my life by his side. I can stay blood bound to him without being near him. My mother and his father did it. We’ll just have to be very careful. So with that being said, Alpha mate Aviry, what is my title?”

I laughed, “Umm, how about…Luno.”

“Ha, no. Hell no.”

“Ok. Then how about the alphas mate Cay.”

“What?” Cay poked my side. “That worse than Luno.”

I thought to myself, what do I want Cay’s title to be? Of course, he’ll play a significant role in our pack; I don’t know what to do. But I can shake some shit up, right? It’s my damn pack. Fuck order and pre-established rules. And I dare anyone to challenge my decisions.

“Ok.” I turned and faced him. “You trust me, right?” Cay narrowed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. I shoved his shoulder and laughed.

“Yes, Aviry, I trust you.”

“And I trust you, Cay. The truth is I was crying over you, believe it or not.”

He shook his head, “The lies, you tell. I don’t believe it.”

“Yes, I know it’s shocking. But honestly, I was crying because I was afraid to lose you. I never dreamed of having someone like you in my life, and I want you just as much as you want me.” I bent down. “Which I hope is a lot.”

Cay nodded. “I already have you, Aviry. And you already have me. Nothing is going to change that.”

I took in a deep breath and exhaled. CLAP, “Ok titles. So, to others, I will be Alpha Aviry, and you will be Alpha Cay.”

Cay looked over at me with wide eyes, “There can’t be two alphas, Aviry.”

“Fuck the norm and fuck anyone who tells us that.” I took Cay’s hand. “We are partners. We make decisions together. We trust each other. And we stand together. Two alphas will be leading and standing side by side in our pack.”

Cay squeezed my hand. “Through the good and bad Aviry. We will be there for each other. You’re the sword, and I’m the shield.”

We both smiled and embraced each other. This is the perfect change to the damn system. Women and men working together as equals. One unified voice and equal power. Neither one of us will be more or less than the other. Together Cay and I will lead the perfect pack.