Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Memory was memory. Nothing more. Nothing less.

All the happiness had vanished. Tragedy erased. Fourteen years passed, the only thing left was the packhouse stood here. The house where I had been raised from infancy until that terrible day of my father’s betrayal

I followed Hale into the pack house, keeping my eyes focused on the floor in front of me as the maids walk with my belongings and Hale leads the way to where I’ll be staying

I have many fond memories of this pack house, and after my father was labeled as a traitor, I never thought I’d step foot back in here again.

“ALPHA!” came a familiar voice from down the hall, stopping us in our tracks. “Alpha, THERE you are!”

Giselle’s father became the new Beta after that night, as the Beta’s daughter, she lived in the pack house like I used to. Giselle came rushing toward us, holding her skirts as she ran across the carpet. When she got next to me, she dropped her dress and took Hale’s arm.

He pulled away. “Is there an emergency?” Hale asked as she froze, staring at me.

“A… what? No, L. What is SHE doing here?” Giselle demanded.

“What is she doing here, ALPHA,” Hale simply eyed her.

Giselle seemed to recover herself with a blush. “Er.. yes.. I’m sorry, Alpha.. I was just.. so.. startled.”

Hale didn’t explain more. “She will be staying here until the rejection ceremony. That is all.”

I took that to mean Giselle had been dismissed, but she took it to mean something entirely different.

“Oh,” Giselle said with a snide smile. She gave an exaggerated bow. “Welcome, REJECTED Luna. Is there anything I can get you, REJECTED Luna?”

“Tm fine, thank you.”

“Surely the REJECTED Luna should wear a fine dress? Hmm? Does the REJECTED Luna want some tea? Maybe a biscuit? Don’t hold back, REJECTED Luna,” Giselle heckled me. “I want to tend to all the REJECTED LUNA’s needs.”

Hale didn’t say anything. I guessed he was onboard with all the mocking.

Giselle certainly thought he was. “Is REJECTED Luna a baby? A wee wittle REJECTED Luna baby?”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll just…go to bed,” I said slowly, looking to Hale for direction as to where I should go from here. I was so far out of my depth now that I didn’t know what to do.

“Aww, is wittle REJECTED Luna tired? Does wittle REJECTED Luna need a dolly to sleep with?” Giselle continued.

1 knew Giselle was trying to get Hale to laugh, honestly, I admired her sparing effort to achieve something. It just would be better if she could not get me involved in. The very slightest of smiles quirked the corner of my mouth as I thought of all Giselle’s chasing after Shawn when we were kids, but now they were enemies.

“What are you smirking about?” Giselle demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

I wiped all expression from my face. “Nothing.”

“Alpha,” Giselle whined. “The pack traitor was smirking at me.”

“Why do you bother looking at her?” Hale simply eyed her,

“Oh yes, sorry, REJECTED LUNA.” Giselle laughed at me. She’s apparently satisfied, that’s good, then she would stop butterflying around me.

But her good mood didn’t last long. “Be quiet, Giselle. Everyone should have gone to bed.” Hale said without looking at her.

Giselle shop me a withering glance as Hale stalked away from us, toward the other hall. “Just you remember, REJECTED Luna,” she said, stabbing her finger into my chest. “You’re less than dirt. Less than DIRT. No matter what trick the Moon Goddess is playing, he’s mine and not yours. Got it? In two weeks, you’re going to be nothing.”

I nodded, already bored.

Giselle then slapped me across the face. “Answer me when I’m talking to youl What did I say?!”

I rubbed my stinging cheek. “You said I’m less than dirt.”

“And?” Giselle said archly.

“And that Alpha Hale is yours,” I repeated.

“He absolutely is. And once this stupid mate bond of yours is severed, he’s going to see it, too, Giselle sniffed.

I nodded again, just wanting to go to my room and get some sleep.

Giselle slapped me again, this time causing my nose to bleed. “Don’t you patronize me with your little head bobs!” “Giselle,” came Hale’s tired voice down the hall.

We both turned our heads.

“Alphat She was saying she was going to be the future Luna. I was just reminding her of her place,” Giselle said quickly. Hale let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Just go to bed, Giselle.”

“But-”

“Alpha, the room is ready,” the butler said after walking around the corner of the hallway with his hands behind his back, staring directly at Hale, and interrupting his conversation with Giselle.

Hale huffed and began following the butler down the hallway, followed by the maids. Giselle was quick to catch up to Hale and latch onto his arm, pressing her b*dy against his skin.

I took a deep breath and followed behind, doing my best to not fall too far behind.

“Are you alright, Alpha?” Giselle asked sweetly, running her hand up and down Hale’s arm. “You seem stiff.”

Before Hale could reply, the butler stopped at a bedroom and gestured toward it as he opened the door. “This is the room, Alpha

Giselle took a step forward, peering into the open bedroom when her jaw just about hit the floor and a loud gasp escaped her l*ps. She turned to Hale, looking incredulous, “What!”

She blinked hard, her eyes moving between me and Hale, but Hale paid no attention to her, and instead, he kept his eyes focused on me.

Ifiddled nervously with my fingers resting against my abdomen.

What was Giselle so shocked by?

I peered past Giselle and Hale to see what all the fuss was about with the room. And then I understood Giselle’s shocked and incredulous reaction.

The room was a happy pink and filled with dolls, My dolls. There was a child’s bed, a wicker pram for dollies, and a large dollhouse next to a white window seat with frilly pink curtains. A white wrought iron child’s bed that would be a little too, short for me now was nestled against one wall

It was my room, with my things, just as I’d left it fourteen years ago the day I had left.

“What…?” I uttered, almost speechless, looking at Hale

Apparently, it was his turn to be indifferent. “Nob*dy’d like to use a room traitor’s descendant lived.”

I nodded and answered instinctively before my mind understood what happened. “Yes, of course, Alpha.”

What in the Moon Goddess’s name had happened here?

Hale turned to Giselle who was still standing wide–eyed “Go. Now.”

“But, Alpha…” Giselle stammered, but Hale was quick to cut her off.

“Good rest, Giselle,” he didn’t shout, but it was enough for Giselle to whimper as she scattered away, following the path down the hallway the butler had taken.

I couldn’t focus on anything other than the contents of the room. My room.

My dolls‘ clothes should have rotted.

The bedclothes should have had to have been replaced.

But no, everything was clean and had been cleaned regularly, judging by the smell.

I looked at Hale, feeling a million things at once and not sure I’d properly hidden all of them. He took a step back from me, his own eyes were troubled – or maybe just my illusion. The next second, he was that Hale again.

He gave me a long look that felt icy and cool, then went back the way he came.

I looked from his retreating back to the untouched bedroom, and back again.

Hale had left.

There was only me now. Me and my room, whose time was stopped fourteen years ago.

‘s Diary–Fourteen years ago (excerpt)

“Shh Mason said, putting one gangly arm around me so he could put a grubby hand over my mouth. “You’ll ruin it

I put my hands over his, helping him stifle my giggles,

Nanny Roberta was poking her head in and out of rooms. “Come on, you two. It’s time for lessons,” the midd grumped.

“Wait for it…” Mason whispered as Nanny Roberta came to my door.

woman.

As she opened the door, a full well of black ink toppled off the top and landed in Nanny Roberta’s gray–streaked hair. “Oh!” Nanny Roberta cried, wiping at the ink that was running down her face with her apron. “Oh, you two hellions!” Mason let go so I could laugh my little head off while he jumped out from behind the pillar and pointed at Nanny Roberta. “Got you!”

Anything Nanny Roberta might have said in return was cut off when she bowed.

“Alpha James,”

I hope there was a rabbit hole.

“Well. Well. Let’s see what we got from you two, huh?”