Chapter 3

• Birthday/Rejection
• ‘Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr’
• I shot up from the bed at the contemptuous shrill of the alarm by my bedstand and slammed it shut. I looked frantically about the room, noticing for the first time how long I had slept. That was strange. I moved my leg and whimpered at the spike of throbbing pain that spiraled through my body.
• I took my time, tiny droplets of yesterday's event beginning to trickle in. I reached up to touch my face to check for any bump suggesting I had been hit or something. I knew my family. No act of wickedness was past them. Even though I was asleep, that won't stop them from inflicting me with more pain when they wanted to.
• I glided down from the bed and went to my makeshift wardrobe to pick out one of my worn-out gowns, several thoughts still assailing my mind. How come I was still alive after what happened at the arena? If not for the Alpha, I wonder what would have been my fate by now. I was very much shocked to still be on my feet. Maybe my father was waiting for me to wake up so he could attack me, that would be the only explanation. There was no way he would let me go scot-free after putting shame on his face before the entire pack, with not even a single punch at my opponent.
• Leaving my room, I looked about the long hall, straining my ear to catch any sound. Getting none, I took my first step outside, and then at once I froze in my path, recollecting what day it was.
• My birthday!
• Yes! D_day was finally here, the day I have been waiting for all my miserable life. The knowledge added a little brightness and livened me up, giving me the morale to match down the stairs ready to face any affliction, having only one comfort at heart_ the end was near.
• Getting to the living room which was directly at the left part of the stairs from whence I could go to the kitchen, nobody was there. That was a good sign. I made my way to the kitchen on cloud nine. ‘Today was my birthday, today was my birthday!’ I sang and twirled into the kitchen. The place was as usual piled with stinking dirty plates from yesterday's meals. I stood at the door and skimmed my eyes through, my mood almost becoming dampened but I pushed the ogre impression to the back of my mind and went in to start the day's chores. My entire body still ached from yesterday's beating.
• Later, I would have to go to the back of the house to check if one of the healing leaves I planted there had grown enough. I had to treat myself before I broke down. Today was my birthday and nothing would spoil my mood, absolutely nothing.
• Silently and dejectedly, I began separating the plate, wishing I had a loving family like the other pups. Today was like the best day in every wolf's life due to how significant it was.
• I couldn't help but feel more miserable thinking about it. I wished for so many things in life, and I hoped now that I was eighteen, that the moon goddess would start answering every one of them, especially finding my wolf and meeting my mate.
• I began washing the plates earnestly, my plan for the day being to make a very delicious meal after going to pluck the healing leaves, and then after everything, I will go to the forest, and try to shift.
• Something good had to happen in my life today.
• I was dancing on my toes as I washed my father's favorite plate, a big ceramic bowl that he insisted I used to serve him almost all of his meals. I didn't know why it was so special to him but I handled it with uttermost care. After washing it, I rinsed it and was about to drop it but for reasons beyond me, the goddess decided to start my day by opening another box of agony to start my well-planned self-affirmed pain-free day.
• The instant I stretched my hand to place it on the counter above me, It started dangling in my slippery fingers. In my bid to hold it properly so that it doesn't fall(which was my greatest fear), It flew out of my hand and right before my eyes, despite all the effort I did to catch it, it crashed on the hard granite kitchen floor and broke into several pieces. I was stunned and just stood looking at it, my chest heaving thunderously. I was hypnotized without being able to move a foot or do anything.
• "What have you done?!"
• I jumped in a startle at the lethal voice of my father who I didn't hear come in. His eyes flashed ruthlessly as he stalked closer, his eyes going to the shattered glass on the floor. I knew I was done for when he rose with a piece of the glass and was staring emotionally at it like he wanted to cry.
• My Dad moved by a piece of ware? shocking, if you ask me. That wasn't the issue, the issue right now was that he had dropped the piece he picked and was hovering like an angry panther about to pound on me, from his position not far from me.
• "I am sorry, Dad." I fell on my knees and started begging fervently, knowing this plate must have truly meant a lot to him.
• “I curse the day you were born, Danika," he started ferociously. "I curse the day you were conceived." His chest was heaving up and down. From the corner of my eye. I saw the familiar morning bonnet of Bianca appear at the door. She was looking clueless, her eyes taking in the shattered glass. "Why Danika do you have to bring nothing but pain into my life? You took my wife from me, and since then you have done nothing to redeem yourself before me but to cause more havoc every day to add to your misconduct of yesterday."
• “I'm so sorry, Dad" I have nothing else to say but to continue pleading, as tears poured from my eyes. I knew my Dad hated me and my very presence disgusted him, but right now, the look in his eyes was murderous. I have never seen that look before.
• "I hate you so much. I hate you with every fiber in me and wish someday that you pay for everything you have done."
• He turned to leave and I, out of grief, fell to my knees and grabbed his leg to plead for his forgiveness. I couldn't tell why I did, I just felt today was the least of the days I would want him cursing me rather than blessing me.
• He kicked at me and at the same time when I was least expecting it, bent and collided his palm against my already vulnerable cheek. I fell to the ground, tangling in my gown, and watched him trudge out of the kitchen amid more curses flung at me. I laid there wailing out my eyes in depression.
• Bianca who had been standing at the kitchen door wordlessly strutted in with a mocking smile on her face. She stopped a few feet from me and spat at me viciously. "Suits you!" She cursed and dashed out.
• I didn't move a limb, just laid there crying out my eyes asking the goddess silently why she had to allow me such a sad fate. I would never be able to understand why my family despised me so much. I knew my father's reason was because of my mother's death, but my sister was very petty and stupid. I knew it was as a result of her enormous jealousy of my powers which she said the goddess should have given to her than me since she was the better of us and soon-to-be Luna.
• I stood from the ground and quickly finished washing the other dishes as well as cleaning off the broken plate. I made breakfast, surprised they hadn't returned to rain me more beating for taking so long to make it available.
• After everything, I went to the backyard and plucked the plant, and went back to my room to tend to myself, deciding to postpone my birthday food and forest- tour-self-discovery idea.
• I slept off afterward and woke up sometime later to a quiet house. I remained in bed noticing the ache in my body had reduced tremendously meaning that the plant had worked.
• I looked at the piggy head wall clock I had snuck out of the basement to use to add a little beauty to my plain room. It read 3:00 pm. Wow, I didn't know I had slept in for so long. I tossed to my right side to climb down my bedraggled bed, and then at once, I felt a stab in my chest like I was pierced with a knife. I stood from my bed in speed and rushed to the table to pick up a bottle of water I dropped there, to gulp down. Yet, the pain didn't stop but instead, increased.
• I wore my slippers and slipped out of the room, my leg leading me outside, of its volition. What was the meaning of this? Why was I feeling this way? I had never felt any form of pain in my chest before, what was going on? I felt like I was dying from inside. It was a totally new level of pain.
• I reached the intersection that divided my room from my sister, and stopped, hearing a sound from within. I stood there the pain still incessant. I reached out to knock on the door but voted against it.
• Then I noticed something else. I started perceiving a very sweet scent. How come? I recall Granny telling me about perceiving a scent when I reached the mating age and found my mate. So how come I was smelling it directly in front of my sister's room and at the same time feeling a grave pain? And why was she making such a sound? Is she in danger? If she was, what was I going to do?
• Not wasting further time, I slowly turned the knob hoping it was open, and to my relief, it pushed open, and to my uttermost surprise and melancholy, laying on the bed on top of my sister doing what I knew was meant for only mated couples, was Liam.
• “Liam?" I whispered the words, realization dawning on me in shock. He was my mate. Why was he doing that with her then?
• As though he got the same sensation too, he stopped his movement and slowly flipped away from my sister whose eyes widened as she saw me.
• "No!" He careened and covered his face with his hands. “It can't be. You can't be my mate." He said the words with so much disgust.
• I couldn't say a word. I just stood watching him, and praying inside he doesn't reject me even if I just caught him cheating on me. I could forgive him for that if only he would accept me.
• Bianca looked like something was smacked across her face. She used her bed cover to wrap her body and tapped my Liam. 'Wait, she is your ma_" She faltered, shaking her head. "No way! over my dead body would that happen! you treacherous bastard! you think you can steal my man." I was appalled with her defensive attitude. I was the one supposed to be angry for what she was doing with my mate, instead, she lay there uttering rubbish. Anger rose inside me.
• “I will never accept you, Danika. Don't ever think you will ever be my Luna." Liam spat at me without remorse. "You stink, classless, and you are very weak. How could the moon goddess ever crack such a joke on me?..." He stood, his hand going to his waist “In fact, let's make this quicker, I, Liam Derrick, re_”
• "No! Liam, please you can't do this to me, I beg you, please don't do this." I fell on my knees and held his leg, pleading with everything in me. If he rejects me I was done for. What am I going to do?
• He scoffed and kicked me away. " I don't believe you are my true mate! And if you are, I reject you! Danika Michaels. Feel free to seek the love and protection of another man because I already found my Luna." He sneered, looking towards my sister who seemed proud of herself.
• I thought I was yet to see the worst day in my life, but nothing beat the raw pain I felt from his rejection. Where do I go from now?
• My life is finished.