Alpha Reject (ON HOLD)

Chapter One [Edited]

There's something oddly comforting about the dark.

Is that normal? To find comfort in the dark, to find solace in it? Most people are afraid of it, of the horrors it bring. But while the dark is filled with that, the light from the stars and moon drive them away, and bring out the animals that find themselves in the arms of nature.

Which is exactly why I'm outside right now and not at the pack house. It's become a habit to sleep outside under the moon. Sure in the beginning, it was uncomfortable, but now it's uncomfortable indoors. Plus out here, I'm away from the looks of my pack mates, and the hands of my brother.

My brother never forgave himself for our parents' death, and for Briana's. He never forgave me-which is reasonable. You can't ask for forgiveness when you don't deserve it.

I close my eyes to shut down the tears that threaten to spill over, and I take a deep breath, sucking them back in. When I'm sure they're gone, I open my eyes and stare at the moon, aware of the single tear that trickles down my cheek.

Well fuck.

I close my eyes for a few hours of sleep.

One day I won't cry.

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There's something brushing against the side of my head and I swat at it gently. It was probably Phoenix, that old crow. I wrinkle my nose when the feeling comes against and suddenly I'm slightly tossed. My eyes blink open and I'm awake when I see a deer standing in front of me, it's beady eyes observing me.

"Phoenix!" I cry out, wanting more sleep. My dreams consisted of the same thing, and that meant I didn't sleep much. Nights without nightmares were rare and very much appreciated. Suddenly I'm aware of how bright it is, and a string of curses come out of me and I'm glad that Phoenix doesn't understand English. "Oh goddess, I'm dead." I mumble while picking up my shoes from next to me and making sure no creepy crawlies had crawled inside before placing them on my feet and taking off to the pack house.

I make it back to the main lounge where I see my brother sitting, his fingers tapping and his eyebrows furrowed. His best friend, Percy is next to him looking bored, but when their eyes rest on me and my disheveled figure, Arian's eyes turn dark with rage. "Why isn't our meal ready?" he growls out and I open my mouth to speak but he beats me to it. "You have one duty Leila, one!" he glares at me and I find myself cowering from his tone. I don't bother looking at Percy, this is routine for him.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time." I whimper out, hoping my brother would understand. But when he looks at me, I know I should've simply kept quiet. He steps towards me thundering, his hands fisting and I cry out. "I'm sorry Adrian, I was just tired, I haven't slept all week, and I just lost track of time." My tone quietens towards the end.

My brother looks at me before grabbing my collar and lifting me up before staring in my eyes. "How can you even sleep?" he growls, before throwing me and tossing me across. I haven't shifted yet, but my brother has, so his wolf strength pushes me further than I expect, and my head hits the marble flooring. He walks over me before gripping my hair and yanking me to a standing position, ignoring my yelp of pain. "You have 10 minutes to get breakfast ready." He growls and I whimper, nodding furiously.

He releases his grip and I stumble to the kitchen, blinking furiously to make the sudden black spots go away. I inhale deeply and feel lightheaded for a few seconds, but push my feet to the kitchen anyways. Quickly hustling, I grab the ingredients to make some bacon and eggs and toast and get working.

While making the breakfast, I get lost in thought. Tomorrow was my birthday. I would finally be 18, an adult. My wolf would emerge and I would be allowed to travel to find my mate. Once I could leave, I was not coming back. There was nothing for me here besides my brother's fists and hateful looks. We were both better off without each other.