Ch.4 Chapter 3 - Rejected Lovers

Chapter Three - New Territory

"It's dangerous for me to be here. What if he hurts you and your pack?" I whisper fearfully as I think about the repercussions.

"His pack is nothing compared to mine." Atticus scoffs and I believe him because his tone isn't full of arrogance. Rather it's heavy with confidence and pride. "I will take care of you, Olivia. He'll have to go through me if he wants to get to you."

I bite my lip as I weigh out the pros and cons of my situation. If I run away and change my identity there's still a high chance of Vincent finding me. But if I stay here I will be protected by Atticus and his pack. Sighing heavily, I know what my decision is and I look up at Atticus as he stands.

"Okay." I nod with a weak smile.

A handsome smile blooms on his lips at my answer before he holds his hand out to me. "Come."

I take it hesitantly and follow him to his desk. He grabs the office phone and I watch as he dials a number taken from a small notebook. When I realize it's the number for Vincent's office I stumble back only for him to grasp my wrist and pull me flush against him. He stares down at me with narrowed eyes and a stern expression.

"Do you want to reject him?" He asks and my eyes widen in response.

"Atticus â"

"Yes or no, Olivia?" He interrupts firmly.

"Yes, but he won't let me!" I exclaim in frustration.

"When he answers reject him as fast as you can." He presses the call button and I hear it go through.

"Alpha Bauer speaking. Get Alpha Ross on the line." Atticus orders in a commanding tone.

He puts the phone on speaker before gesturing for me to talk. I exhale deeply to get rid of my nerves but it's futile when I feel them go haywire as I hear Vincent ask his Beta who is on the line. He snarls angrily once he hears that it's Atticus before growling out a "what?" into the speaker.

"I, Olivia Peterson reject you, Vincent Ross as my mate." I rush out before hanging up.

Instantly I feel this burning in my chest and I lose my balance. Atticus catches me before my knees can hit the floor and holds me to him as I scream in pain. It's like a part of me is being ripped away and anything is being used to get rid of the other half of my soul. I feel my bond with Vincent and his pack burn away. I cry out in agony and beg Atticus to help me as I clutch onto his shirt. He hushes me in response and promises it won't take much longer as he wipes away my endless tears.

Eventually, the pain fades away into nothingness after what feels like hours. I sag against Atticus with a broken whimper as the feeling of emptiness hits me like a ton of bricks. There's nothing there anymore. I feel incomplete once more yet it brings me sweet relief. I have been praying for this for so long and finally I was able to break our bond.

"Thank you." I whisper as I turn fully to hug him.

"No problem." He whispers back as he runs his fingers through my hair.

We stay on the floor for a while longer before he helps me stand and tells me to come with him. I follow him out of his office and into the foyer. We walk up the stairs to the second floor and he guides me down a long hallway. I look around in awe as we walk through the house because it's just as beautiful on the inside than on the outside.

"Where are we going?" I wonder aloud as we pass a large window that overlooks the sprawling gardens below.

"I'm going to show you your room." He replies which brings me back down to earth.

"Atticus..." I stop him with a nervous bite of my lip. "I can't possibly live here with you. What will your mate think?"

Silence greets me before he turns. His expression has hardened and a cold look is in his eyes. Dread fills me as I wonder what had happened for him to have such a reaction.

"She's not here."

"Did you not find her?" I ask quietly while feeling like I'm treading across dangerous waters.

He sighs and gestures for me to follow him as he walks out onto a balcony. I stand beside him and give him some time to collect his thoughts. After a while of unnerving silence and staring out at the colorful garden he speaks and brings me out of my thoughts.

"I found her...but she was already married with children. She was a few years older than me in age, early twenties." He states and my eyes widen in surprise. "She's a human and I...I just couldn't do it. Even if she is my mate I couldn't ruin the life she had already built for herself."

"I'm so sorry, Atticus." I whisper as I watch him run a hand through his hair.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Olivia." He shoots me a small smile which eases my nerves.

"What about the pack?"

"They have accepted that they won't have a Luna." He shrugs before crossing his arms over his chest. "I found her two months after I turned sixteen so they've had time to come to terms with it."

"And you?" I ask hesitantly and feel his eyes bore into the side of my head as he glances over at me.

"I accepted the Moon Goddess' decision long ago." He smiles sadly as he turns back to the view ahead.

"What about your family?"

"They understood my situation." He replies softly before holding out his arm and gesturing for me to come over. I step closer to him as he smirks playfully at me. "I guess both of us weren't destined for true mates, huh?"

I chuckle as I nod in agreement. He takes my hand and guides me to what is apparently my new room. I step in after he opens the door and my eyes widen in amazement at how big it is. The theme of the bedroom is navy, white and grey which I find quite pretty. It has a large arching window where I can look out at the gardens, a private bathroom along with a walk-in wardrobe. The queen-sized bed looks like heaven and a grey bench is placed at the foot of it. There's also a flat screen TV on the wall opposite my bed.

"This is so nice! Thank you." I smile gratefully as I turn around to face him.

"I'm glad you like it." He smiles before our ears pick up on a crackling sound.

"Alpha Bauer, dinner is ready. Your siblings are waiting for you in the dining room." A soft and motherly tone filters through the speaker and I watch Atticus reply into what looks like an intercom.

"Come. You must be hungry." He smiles and I follow him downstairs eagerly.

"Are your parents here too?" I ask in excitement.

"No, they're on holiday in Spain." He chuckles as we make our way across the foyer. "But they'll be back in a week or so."

We enter the dining room and I wave at Arcadia and Elias Bauer with a grin. They gasp in surprise at the sight of me before I'm crushed against Arcadia in a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?!" She laughs as she pulls away.

Her deep blue eyes shine with happiness as she glances at Atticus with a smile. Arcadia is stunning with her sharp features, curly blonde hair and insanely toned figure. She's a mini version of her mother, Vasilia Bauer.

"Did the rest of your family not come?" Elias frowns in confusion as he glances behind me.

Atticus and Elias look very much like their father, Tobias Bauer. With dark brown hair, hazel eyes and muscular build they both look quite intimidating however, Elias has always been the lighthearted one of the two. Arcadia is seventeen and Elias is sixteen but we were all very close due to the short age gap.

"Well...a lot of things happened in the past two years." I start with a heavy sigh as we all sit down at the table right after the food is served and the maids have left. "I found my mate, Vincent Ross of the Red River pack at seventeen and he accepted me into his pack so I moved."

"That's great...right?" She asks with a confused expression once she catches mine and Atticus' grim ones.

"I felt him hooking up with someone. He only accepted me into the pack so that I can give him strong heirs as his rightful Luna." I explain but hate the way my voice shakes.

"Bastard! That's disgusting!" Elias' eyes light up in anger as Atticus squeezes my knee under the table.

"Why didn't you reject him?" Arcadia asks with narrowed eyes that are equally as angry.

"Believe me, I tried countless times but he would always command me to stop when he realized what I was about to do." I shake my head as I remember how hopeless my wolf and I felt. "He turned the whole pack and my own family against me by lying and saying that I cheated on him. My parents disowned me and I'm not welcome on their lands anymore."

"Mom and dad reached out many times but they never replied to our calls. Eventually, they gave up." Elias explains with a sad look in his eyes as he takes a sip of water. "If only we knew."

I feel Atticus' grip on my knee tighten and I take it into mine. He sighs and shakes his head as he meets my gaze. I manage to detect flickers of frustration, anger and sadness before they're gone.

"I had planned to run away after graduation but Vincent found out that Atticus has some intel on rogues attacking packs in Canada. He said that there were rumors that the Red River pack was next and sent me to find out from you." I explain and notice his brows furrow in confusion.

"Why would he think that I would just give up information like that?"

"Because my brother told him we used to date when we were younger." I reply quietly as I push around the stir fry noodles in my plate. "He wanted me to ask you about it while he listened in on our conversation and as I told Atticus, he said he would kill me if I came back without the information."

"I'm going to tear him a new one!" Arcadia growls while Elias rolls his eyes playfully. She's always been the short-tempered child of the family.

"You will do no such thing!" Atticus growls back protectively. "I don't want you anywhere near that prick. And besides, Olivia finally rejected him over the phone today."

Elias breaks out into a fit of laughter and almost chokes on his own stir fry. "It's like you broke up with him over text!"

Arcadia smiles in amusement as she pours him more water. We spend the rest of the evening catching up and I feel myself relax the more the sense of security seeps into me. However, by the end of dinner I'm quite exhausted from the flight and everything else that occurred today. So, when Arcadia and Elias ask if I want to watch a movie with them I decline with the promise of joining them the next time.

Atticus walks me back to my room since I forgot where it was. We're lost in our thoughts until we get to my door and I turn to him. I don't know what to say that will express my gratitude for all that he's done for me in such a short space of time.

"Sleep well." He murmurs lowly with a smile. "And remember that you're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore."

I can't help but step forward and hug him tightly. Tears of relief escape from the corners of my eyes, relief that I have craved for so long. His arms tighten around my waist when he hears my sniffle before he hushes me.

"Sorry." I whisper in embarrassment as I pull away.

"Don't be. Someone like you should have never been treated like that. It's okay to let that pain out." He follows and cups my face in both hands as his thumbs wipe away my tears. "Whenever you need a good cry and someone to hold you just come and find me, okay?"

I laugh and nod in agreement. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Just like old times." He murmurs as he bumps his nose against mine playfully. "Now go and rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, goodnight Atticus."

He presses a firm kiss to my forehead before pulling away and walking backwards. "Sweet dreams, Olivia."

I rush into my room and close the door before sagging against it. Goddess, the things that man does to me! I think to myself while my heart still races wildly from his touch.

Vote if you are enjoying this story!

Chapter 4Â is already up on Inkitt! Click the link in my bio or announcement post to read my book faster!

Share This Chapter