Mate's Redemption || ✔

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

My heart stopped and in that very moment, I felt like I couldn't breathe probably. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Mace was trying to move closer to me however I quickly flinched away.

"Get away from me." I snapped at him, I felt my wolf stirring within me. Mace stopped in his tracks, a puppy dog look in his eyes.

"Ree-"

"You knew?" I tilted my head at him, my voice almost breaking as I narrowed my eyes at one of the closest friends I have made in this pack. "You knew that my old pack was coming and you didn't tell me?" I held my own, taking a breath after I spoke. I didn't want to break down in front of them, I was done breaking down regardless for years now.

"Reese, I couldn't?" I pursed my lips angrily, glaring up at Mace.

"You knew what they did!" I growled. Jared stepped forward, almost guarding his Beta who looked sheepishly at me. "How could you?" I barked up at him, baring my teeth aggressively. I could feel my wolf shaking within me.

"Stand down, Reese!" Jared commanded, the Alpha within him rising. I was no match to an Alpha command that I couldn't do anything but listen to his command, lowering myself down and stepping away from both of them. "Leave us," Jared asked both Mace and Nicole, who immediately left the room. Mace didn't meet my eye as he left however Nicole gave me a sad smile while she exited.

"I can't believe this." I angrily muttered, turning away from Jared as I stalked around the room not knowing what to do.

"Their pack was aggressively attacked, they need our help or else their pack would become non-existent."

"Good!" I yelled, throwing my arms in the air as I sharply turned back to Jared. "Let them all die, that's what they deserve." Jared gave me a pointed look.

"You don't mean that."

"Maybe I do." I narrowed my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you need not know." I raised my eyebrows at him which Jared rolled his eyes at. "You aren't the Beta, nor are you Gamma so your opinion wouldn't have made a difference. Plus knowing you, you would have rejected them from the get-go." I held back my growl, giving Jared a side-eye as my tongue ran over my teeth irritation.

"They are my pack! I have the right to know!" Jared's fist hit the table beside him, growling for respect as I raised my voice exceptionally. Unconsciously, my wolf whined, cowering slyly.

"No!" He growled. "They aren't your pack, we are. We were the ones that picked you off from the border three years ago and gave you the home you've always wanted. You said it yourself, we've been family to you more in the last three years then they have been in the past ten." I bit my tongue as I watched Jared's face go red.

"They need help after a horrific rogue attack, and we are going to help them. Their Alpha came to me and Alpha to Alpha I agreed to help them." He continued, watching as I slowly deflated while he spoke. "This isn't about 'oh she said this' or 'oh she did that'. This isn't some high school bully situation, this is lives at risk and I will not let another pack filled with innocent children fall just because you're bitter about your past."

I gulped, my eyes flickering from Jared to the ground, the Alpha within him making it impossible for me to hold eye-contact with him. Jared glanced me at as I slowly backed away, sitting on down on the seat behind me, and sighed, crouching down slightly to meet my eye level.

"I love you Reese and I know you're a wonderful person who wouldn't let innocent children die for the faults of others in that pack." He rested a hand on my knee as he spoke, I continued to look down at my lap.

"Jared," I gulped, the strength I made in the past three years was writhing away. "I don't know if I can this." Jared tutted at me,

"You're strong, Reese. Physically, mentally and emotionally." I looked up to see Jared looking at me, a small smile on his face. "Show them what their words did to you, show them how much of a strong and wonderful woman you have grown to become." Jared cupped my face with both hands and squeezed lightly before pulling my head closer to him and pressing a gentle fatherly peck on my forehead.

Alpha Jared was really an amazing person to be around, despite being an Alpha he never made someone feel lower than or anything of the sort—he never made me feel like I never belonged.

Midnight Forrest was my past, the pack that ran from when everything became too much.

All the verbal abuse I could get from the people in my pack was getting all too much for me and getting rejected by the one person that the Moon had chosen for me. I was thrown away like a piece of garbage simply because of the words that people had been feeding him for years.

Hayden, the very own other half, chose them over me and that broke me completely. The idea of being around him, surrounded by people that knew what happened and found it hilarious, pained me. I didn't want that to be my life.

When Jared found me, I was broken. I was a rogue and I was ready to end my life, I didn't want to live in a world where it seemed that no one wanted me, I didn't want to become a background character in my own life. Now, I thank Jared and the Golden Redemption pack for finding me and taking me in. They saw a strong woman and wolf within me before I could see myself and I will always work to make that up to Jared and the pack. I owe them my life for doing so much for me in three years than the Midnight Forrest pack did in the last decade.

I said to myself that I would never think about that pack again, that pack didn't deserve me, but at this moment I caught myself thinking about the Midnight Forrest pack.

What happened to them during the rogue attacks? Jared saying half of the pack was destroyed got me wondering, was my brother alive? Despite the way he had treated me for years, he was the only blood I had left and even though I would rather never see him again, I wouldn't want him to be dead.

I sighed, pushing back on the chair slightly as Jared dropped his hands from my face. "When are they going to be here?"

As soon as I spoke up, the door swung open to show Nicole and Mace, as well as the Gamma of the pack, James. I raised an eyebrow at them as Jared stood up straight, sharply turning his head towards the doorway.

"What is it?" Jared spoke with urgency, his eyes flashing to Nicole as he looked her up and down, scanning her. "Are you okay?" At that moment, his voice sounded softer. Nicole sent him a smile to ease him, mouthing an endearment his way.

"Alpha," Mace spoke up, straightening his back as he addressed his superior. "The Midnight Forrest pack are here."