Chapter 7 – Weak
I opened my eyes, I was alone, on the floor right where he left me. The clothes I had left hidden in the bush when I shifted were sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace. I really wanted to shower, to wash away his scent from my body, but I didn't dare use his shower. I needed to get out of here.
I put my clothes on as fast as I could and left the cabin before Ranger came back. The cabin was by the lake on pack property and it was going to be about three miles back to the pack house. I started walking back along the path.
Alone with my thoughts, I wondered why the Moon Goddess cursed me. A mate is supposed to be the other half of your soul, made just for you, to love and protect you. Mine had just used me and threw me away, like I was garbage. Like I was nothing.
I heard Lia let out a low painful howl in my head. I could feel her pain. It wasn't her fault, it was all my fault, I was weak. She's probably going to leave me too. Everyone leaves me. Even my own mate didn't want me. I felt the tears fill my eyes.
"I'm sorry Lia, this is all my fault." I sobbed.
"We are not weak, we're stronger than they know." She told me.
I cried as I walked back absentmindedly through the woods. Thinking about what happened last night and how I could have been so stupid. Did I actually believe he would want me, a pack slave? The pull of the mate bond really fooled me into believing he wanted me. I neared the tree line and walked across the grassy field towards the pack house. I entered through the back of the house at the kitchen so I could slip into the basement quickly and shower before anyone picked up Ranger's scent on me.
When I stepped inside, a dozen set of eyes stared at me. Alpha Ranger was having lunch at the huge kitchen island with Gamma Blake and Delta Cole. A few other warriors, including Beth, were also having lunch. Miranda was seated next to Ranger and ran her fingers through his hair as if he was her mate.
"Let me out, I'll kick her ass!" Lia snarled at me.
The silence was broken when Ursa came into the kitchen. "Where the hell have you been all night? Out whoring around?"
Miranda laughed watching her aunt abuse me. I froze, I couldn't tell them where I really was. "I'm sorry." I managed to say. I saw Ranger return to his sandwich as if he was disinterested.
"You have a lot of nerve standing here like that. If you're going to run wild and free all night long like a dog, then you will sleep outside in the dog kennel tonight." She grabbed my hair and yanked me to the back yard.
The kennel was a metal cage intended for large dogs but was kept in the back yard to punish naughty pups. It was too small to stand or shift in. Everyone followed us out the kitchen and to the kennel. They laughed as she shoved me into the kennel and kicked me before she locked the door.
"She's so pathetic." Beth laughed.
"Here doggy, doggy!" Someone whistled and they all burst out laughing.
"Did you get a whiff of her, she stinks." Miranda called out. "Enjoy your bath tonight when it rains."
Ranger just stood there stone faced. He was the Alpha and he did nothing. I was with him last night; he could have stepped in to keep Ursa from punishing me, but he didn't. I was trying not to cry in front of them as my eyes filled with unshed tears. I curled down in a tight ball and they started walking back to the pack house.
Ranger was the last to turn and walk away. I heard him utter "weak," as he left. I kept my head down and Lia growled in my head. He didn't care about me.
A few hours had passed and the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen was floating in the wind, teasing my nostrils. My stomach grumbled; you'd think I'd get use to going without food after four years of torture. I spotted a large dark brown wolf running towards my kennel. It was Max, he stopped and sniffed the kennel, his wolf let out a whine.
"Lucy, I've been looking all over for you, where have you been?" I heard his voice in my head.
"M-Max? Can you hear me?" I wasn't sure exactly how to work the mind link.
"Yes, I can hear you. Remember, you just picture the person you want to link and then speak." He told me. "And don't forget to put up your wall when you want to keep your thoughts private."
"Right, thank you Max. I'm sorry I worried you. I got my wolf hours after you left, and she insisted on a run."
He sniffed the air again. "I can smell the Alpha on you Lucy, did something happen?"
"Please." I looked into his wolf's eyes, pleading. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone." The tears started falling from my eyes and the sting of rejection burned in my chest. The sky had turned gray and a storm was blowing our way. Max's wolf laid down on all fours in front of my kennel.
"He's your mate, isn't he?" Max asked but it was more of a statement to confirm what he already knew.
I nodded my head.
"Did he reject you?" His voice was laced with anger.
I nodded again.
"That stupid shit!" He growled. "I'm sorry Lucy, no one deserves that."
"Please don't tell anyone." I begged.
"I won't say a word." He sighed. "How did you end up in here?"
"Ursa!" I said.
"And he did nothing to help you?" He growled with disgust in his tone.
"No." I whispered. Not only did my mate reject me, but he left me out here to suffer. He just stood there and let Ursa give me a punishment I didn't deserve. He was the one that carried me back to his cabin, that made me believe he wanted me.
Max stood up and looked towards the pack house. "Alpha just mind linked me; he wants me in his office. I have patrol tonight, but I'll bring you something to eat." I nodded my head and Max made his way back to the pack house.
I curled back down trying to keep my body heat in as the first drops of rain started coming down. It was dark out and I was shivering. The cold night air whipped the rain around mercilessly. My clothes were soaked through and I really had to pee. I saw a flash of lightning in the distance and heard the crack of thunder.
I was curled up as tight as I could trying to stay warm. Lia had been quiet, except for an occasional whimper. She was hurting too, I felt terrible for her, she deserved her mate. I was the problem; I was not good enough for an Alpha. What the hell was the Moon Goddess thinking, of course Ranger would never accept me.
"How's it going Lucy, are you hanging in there?" I heard Max sneak up to my kennel in the dark.
"I'm hanging in there." I shivered.
"Here, I tried to find what would slip through the cage holes." He opened up a ziplock bag and slipped me two big juicy looking sausages, a bread roll he had to break in half to fit through the openings in the cage and string cheese.
"Thank you so much." I said as I ate the delicious food.
"Anytime Lucy." He stood with a look of pity in his eyes. He waved goodbye and slipped away into the darkness, to return to patrolling.
The storm continued all night long. I could see the sky start to lighten up from the east, the sun would be rising soon behind the rain clouds. I couldn't catch a wink of sleep because it was so cold and wet.
I spent most of the night replaying what Ranger had said to me. That I was weak and had never been able to defend myself. That I was unfit to be Luna and the pack would never accept me. I was only fourteen when I was orphaned. I had no money and no one to help me.
HE was the Alpha. HE made me a pack slave. HE allowed the others to bully and beat me. HE never let me train. HE allowed them to starve me.
I heard the back door to the pack house open and close, HE stepped out on the back deck that had a covered patio to protect him from the rain. He was wearing a warm pair of sweatpants and a fitted shirt. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and stood there sipping it while staring me down.
My heart was aching, I couldn't stand to look at him. I did the only thing I could do; I turned my back to him and heard him growl. "You will not disrespect your Alpha."
Before I knew it, he had pulled me out of the kennel and held me up by my neck with my feet dangling. I tried to claw at his hand but had no energy. His touch was still sending tingles through my body and the heat felt good.
Max appeared from the woods. "Alpha." He called out. Ranger looked at him and then threw me into a puddle of mud. I could hardly move, and my body was shivering. Max knelt down by my side and felt my icy cold arm. I heard Ranger growl as Max rubbed my arm. "She's hypothermic and needs medical attention." He said.
"Weak, she's weak!" Ranger growled.