After Rejection

"I missed y'all"

   Hey guys!!
  Sorry for the late update!
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  Eli's kiss left me in a bit of a daze, and so, the trip went by in a blur. Before I knew it, I stood in front of the king, suitcase in hand.

  "Thank you for coming on such short notice," Roman said, leaning down to hug me. "How do you feel coming back?"

  I looked at the pack house and it's surroundings. "It's like coming home. I grew up here, and I love it." I turned my attention to Roman. "The only bad memory was of when I was rejected, but that has no importance in my life."

  "I'm glad," he told me, grinning. "I'll let you unpack and catch up." He gestured towards the pack house. "I assume you know where everything is."

  I nodded and walked past him and too the pack house. Upon entering, a wave of nostalgia hit me. I'd only been gone five months, yet it felt so much longer than that.

  I heard screams before I was tackled to the floor. "Cami!" Various voices said.

  Ashley, Remi, Thomas, Zander, and Alisha were laying on top of me, cutting off my ability to breath.

  I grinned at the children I used to babysit. "Hello kids. Missed me?"

  In response, they squeezed my sides and neck. I missed y'all too." I gently pushed them onto the floor and sat up.

  "Where have you been?" Remi asked me with a pout.

  "Well, I became the alpha of a pack and had to move over there."

  "I want to move there with you," Ashley stated, crossing her arms.

  I laughed at her attitude. "Maybe one day."

  "Well, look who's here," I heard from across the room.

Lori and McKenna stood with their arms crossed at the door way.

"Hey guys," I said with a sheepish smile.

"'Hey guys,'" Lori mocked, "you leave without a goodbye and then never try to get in contact and that's all you say." They both had small glares on their faces. They were right to feel that way. They were my best friends, and I never kept contact.

"No, but I figured it was a good way to start." Their glares don't change. I turned my attention to the children sitting around me. "Hey guys, why don't y'all go play. I'll join y'all later." They eagerly nodded and left.

I looked at both of them before speaking. "I'm really sorry, guys. The reason I left was because I was rejected. I was angry, and in the heat of the moment, I denounced my position in the pack. I packed and left the next day with Lio. I was so focused on leaving, I didn't think to say goodbye to everyone." I paused to let what I said sink in.

"Once I got there, everything was so hectic and new. I didn't think to check up on everyone, and I regret not doing that. I'm really sorry." I looked at them, my feelings out in the open.

They looked at each other before looking at me with small smiles. "We forgive you," McKenna said.

"You've always been bad at keeping touch," Lori stayed, rolling her eyes. "Remember when you visited your aunt last summer."

"I remember. You'd reply like once a day or every other day," McKenna added, with a glare in my direction.

"Must we recall the past?" I asked, with my hands up. "I'm going to work on it."

They raised their eyebrows at me, crossing their arms again. "I swear," I exclaimed.

They broke out into giggles at my exasperation. "I missed y'all," I told them, opening my arms for them.

They accepted my group hug. "There's been rumors about you since you left, you know?"

"Coming from this pack, it doesn't surprise me. Tenemos muchas chismosas. But can you tell me about it in the kitchen. I'm hungry." I was already walking towards the kitchen as I talked.

"You're always hungry." McKenna rolled her eyes.

"You say that like I'm the only one, which is a little hypocritical coming from the girl who always has food with her." I shot back.

"I never said I wasn't," she defended, before pushing past me into the kitchen and turning to face Lori and I. "Now, what are we making?"

"Spaghetti. I've been craving it for a while." Lori said before I even thought of anything.

"Okay. Cami, make the pasta, and I'll make the sauce," McKenna ordered.

"What about me?" Lori asked, slightly offended.

"Remember when you tried making boxed Mac and Cheese?" McKenna questioned.

"It's not my fault. No one told me how long to cook it for," Lori tried to defend.

"It's on the side of the box!" Kenna exclaimed, waving her arms. I broke out into laughter, Kenna soon following as Lori glared at us.

"Fine. What should I do then."

"How about you set the table. That should be safe enough."

Lori grumbled to herself as she walked to the dining room, causing another round of laugher from Kenna and I.

I got started with the spaghetti, finding all the ingredients where I expected them to be. Nothing had changed.

   As the spaghetti was being served, Roman walked in. "Y'all have enough for one more?"

  Kenna and Lori had a dazed look on their faces as they stared at the king, causing me to laugh. They turned their attention to me and glared.

  "Sure, just grab a plate." Kenna and Lori looked at me, horrified, as the king grabbed a plate and went to serve himself.

  "We can do it," Kenna stuttered as she reached to grab his plate.

  Roman pulled it from his reach. "I'm fully capable."

  We finished serving and sat at the table. It was an awkward silence, until Roman broke it.

  "So, who's ready for tomorrow?"

  ~~
Thank you to the ones who waited for this chapter, it means a lot!!

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