Reject

Chapter 9: Above fear

JAMIE

Twigs scrunched against the sole of my naked feet at every step, night breeze howling, trees scrubbed against each other at every blow. I didn't know how long I have been walking, how many times I fell down, the burning sensation on every part of my body slowly eating my consciousness away.

I don't know how much longer could I keep on going. Something is crushing my chest. Suddenly, my backbone cracked due to an unidentifiable reason. My legs went weak and I fell on one of the tree roots, face flat against the damp soil. I groaned in excruciating pain seeping through my veins and coughed, together with a warm liquid in my mouth. Even though my vision is at its peak of fading, I could taste the strong flavor of blood.

Could it be that they cursed me because I discovered who they really are? A lot of mystery lurks around their identity so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if they could slowly kill me through this unnatural and inhumane method.

But despite it all, all I could think about was Luke.

A sob escaped my lips. I forced myself to stand up and lean against the nearest tree. I thought he was different. In those four days, he gave me a reason to live and smile again. He taught me how fun life could be.

In the end, it was all a fucking lie.

I am just a nobody, a reject. Why would they even waste time to kill someone like me? Why would my parents leave me? Why would Sander hurt me? Is there no such thing as a place for me in this world? Is my existence a mistake of the Gods, if there is even one, a failure of a million trial and error experiments?

I struggled my way deep into the forest without neither maps, signs nor instructions. The coldness of the night pricking my skin. I don't know why I'm running away even though I know there is only one path for me now, death.

My knee cap scrunched as if it was broken down into half. As my legs finally gave in, a groan escaped my lips. I fell down with a thud unto the soft grass and there I knew that this is the end. Tears stream down my cheeks and unto my neck. I coughed and I tasted a lot more of my blood coming out. A tint of red slowly taking over my vision and up above, looking down at me was a red moon. There I realized I was already in the middle of a clearing. My body then became numb. No more broken bones, no more suffering, just the way I have always wanted it to be.

"Scarlet?" a voice suddenly said inside my head, his tone had a hint of disbelief and panic-stricken. It was familiar as if it was from someone I knew from a long time ago.

"S...scarlet, is that you?" he asked again and a blurry image of a wolf with a grey coat of fur peeked down on me before everything became dark.

***

SIEGFRED

"Kieff, how's the east side?" I asked through mindlink to my Third-in-command.

Sprinting towards the clearing that divides the territories of the Luminance and Penombre pack, I jumped over a log, three of our pack warriors trailed me from behind. A beautiful full moon at its brightest traversing through the forest, lighting our path.

"Everything is clear, Alpha." Kieffer replied.

"Good. Dane?"

"Unless these stupid bats are officially considered as intruders into our pack, the coast is clear." Irritation is evident in my Beta's, Dane Braxton, voice. The south end of the territory leads deep into the forest that no one had ever gone to, even us werewolves, because of the immense amount of bats lurking around, attacking everyone that they cross upon as if guarding something.