"Where is everyone?" I asked myself, not expecting an answer.
"Alpha sent them away, he wants this conversation to be private. This isn't about my absence at the pack training this morning, right?" He nods his head before getting out to open the door for me.
"Such a gentleman," I said, and he snorted in response.
”He is waiting in the office.“ I nodded, and I walked up the stairs. He doesn't need to show me the way. I have always been visiting since I was young. The alpha and luna have taken a special interest in me since I was young; they saw the aptitude for pack dynamics and took time to train me and improve my skills and help me grow, more reason why I love them both.
I just don't love their son.
I knocked on the door, and the alpha calls for me to come in. I stepped into the office and looked around. The alpha, Luna, Gabriel, as well as my parents were present. They both looked annoyed, and I turned to look at Gabriel.
"You told them, right? You fool, you ruined my plan," I yelled at him, and he looked at me confused.
"What plan?" He asked irritably, and I growled at him.
"To get out of the pack." He and the alpha both growled at me.
"You are going nowhere," Gabriel said. I rolled my eyes at him.
"You don't have a say over that," I said, and Gabriel growled at me again. The alpha held his hands up to get our attention back and motioned me to sit on the chair in-between my parents.
"Why don't we talk this over," he says apologetically.
"Now Rachel, why did you reject Gabriel?" He asked, and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. My mom pinches my thigh for a response, and I growl at her. Surprising everyone because I have always been a gentle wolf.
"No offense alpha, but your son is an asshole. You know, before today, I have never heard him call my real name in years. You know what he calls me? Bitch, slut, whore, sometimes he is more creative," I said, and Luna hit Gabriel at the back of his head, making me laugh.
"You called your mate such filthy names?" She asked horrified, and Gabriel got defensive.
"I didn't know she was my mate," he shouted.
"That is not an excuse for you to speak to pack members like that," the alpha cut in before turning back to me. "Maybe we shouldn't hold grudges over the things peace does when we are young, Rachel; people grow."
"It was three days ago," Luna hit his head again. I gave her an appreciative look. My dad and alpha both growl at him, and he sank in his chair.
"It really is ironic, though, if you think about it. He called him a slut while I waited for my mate. Did you wait for me, Gabriel? Did you?" I asked him, as I pinned him with my glare; he couldn't answer. He was only looking at the floor.
"That's what I thought," I muttered. Alpha sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Rachel. My son is an asshole, but I need you to put that aside for a minute. I need you to give him a chance not just for him but for the sake of the pack," he says.
"I'm sorry that my pathetic love life is making you and the pack uncomfortable, alpha."
"What are you talking about?" Alpha asked with obvious irritation in his voice.
"Watch yourself, Rachel," my mom mutters to me.
”If I ever have the right to be, it would only be now.“
"It is not just Gabriel you are rejecting as your mate. You are rejecting the whole pack. You are meant to be luna," Alpha explained, and it dawned on me.
"Holy shit, how could I not have realized this before?" I tried to calm my beating heart, and my thoughts began to race. I started to hyperventilate, and my parents tried to calm me. Gabriel comes up to me and rests his hand on my back.
"Don't touch me," I shouted at him, and he pulled back his hand in surprise.
"Isn't my touch calming to you?" He asked, and I let out a mocking laugh.
"Not since I rejected you. I feel nothing," I said, and I didn't bother to hide my satisfaction at the truth. Gabriel looked more saddened than before.
"You can't feel our bond?" He asked, and I shook my head.
"No, so I guess your bond now," I said, and he went back to his seat looking defeated. Once my breathing is back to normal, alpha continues.
"Normally Rachel, I did say you have every right to reject your mate, but this is bigger than you and Gabriel. This is the future of our pack, its strength. Doesn't that matter to you?" He said, and I nodded.
"It does, that's why I want to leave," Alpha furrowed a serious brow at me, so does everyone else.
"Explain," he says, and I sigh knowing I am bound to make everyone angry.
"I don't think Gabriel will make a good alpha," I said, and all the gasps and Gabriel growled at me.
"And why is that?" Alpha asked, obviously trying to control his temper. I straightened my back and took a deep breath.
"He is rude, selfish, self-centered, and proud. He is power-hungry and stubborn. He will make this pack explode," I said, and no one spoke for a long time.
Surprisingly, it was Gabriel who opened his mouth first.
"I, Gabriel, accept—"
Luna smacked her hand on the table before he could finish accepting my rejection.
"When you finish that sentence I will put you in the ground myself. By doing that, you are proving everything she just said about you is true," Luna says with firm glare. Gabriel nods a little, and she removes her hand, watching him closely.