Rejected and Forsaken

Birthday

Lily woke up on Wednesday morning with one thought in her mind—that night, she would finally go through her first shift.

An eighteenth birthday was the most important event in werewolves’ lives, so it was usually celebrated by the entire pack. Of course Lily’s birthday wasn’t going to be treated with the same importance, but she was still excited for the day.

She would have to get through school first, but after that, she would see Amanda, Eli, and Bella. She had no idea what they had planned for her birthday, but she couldn’t wait to find out. And, of course, there was also the possibility of finding out who her mate was when she shifted that night.

If her mate was already eighteen, their wolf would sense she was shifting. They would feel Lily’s pain through the mate bond and be able to find her and help her. A werewolf’s first shift was extremely painful and could last the entire night, but if her mate was with her, the shift would be quicker and easier to get through.

Lily wasn’t sure what to expect that night because although she wanted a mate, she was nervous that he wouldn’t want her. She’d been rejected and turned against by almost everyone in her pack, and the thought of having a mate who did the same was unbearable. Lily had been through a lot, but she wasn’t sure if she could get through the pain of her mate rejecting her.

The worst kind of pain that a werewolf could go through was when their mate died, which was why her dad had been completely destroyed and forever changed when her mom had been killed. Losing a mate was like losing a part of yourself because the bond between mates connected their very souls.

The second worst kind of pain, though, was when a werewolf was rejected by their own mate. The bond that formed between the two werewolves at the onset of the younger one’s first shift was ripped apart when they rejected each other, and it created a physical and emotional pain that was apparently excruciating.

Lily was terrified that her mate wouldn’t love her and want her as he should. Over the years, her father and Kyle had made comments about how even her mate wouldn’t be able to love someone like her, so it had been entrenched in her to expect rejection. It was hard to hear something over and over again and not start to see it as a possibility.

Lily tried to push those thoughts aside as she got ready for the day. She tried to be hopeful for what her birthday would bring. Maybe she would find a mate that would love and cherish her. Maybe she would finally feel accepted.

One thing she knew for sure was that she was going to have a great day with Amanda, Eli, and Bella. She knew that whatever they planned, she would love it, so she focused on that instead. She was grateful she’d be spending her birthday with the people she loved.

Lily showered and washed her hair, and wanting to look good for the special day, she put her dried light brown hair into a crown braid. She changed into a pair of high-waisted denim shorts and a white crop top and finished the outfit off with a pair of grey ankle boots.

The bruises from where Kyle had grabbed her throat were barely noticeable, but she covered them and her faintly bruised eye with makeup anyway. She didn’t want to risk Mrs. Montgomery or other teachers seeing them and calling her father again.

She looked in the small mirror over her desk and was glad to see that she looked good—beautiful even. Her green eyes were more cheerful than usual, and the dark circles under them weren’t as pronounced as they usually were.

She was happy to see that her brother had left for college earlier than usual, so she had the kitchen to herself. Usually, Lily couldn’t make herself a big breakfast because her brother was always cooking around the time she had to leave for school, but it was clearly her lucky day.

There was little in the way of vegetables in the fridge, but there was plenty in the way of protein, so she settled for a ham and cheese omelet. It had been a while since she’d had more than a banana or apple for breakfast, so the omelet tasted especially delicious.

She even made a sandwich for her school lunch, glad she wouldn’t have to get something out of a vending machine like she was usually forced to do. Lily cleaned up after herself but refused to do anything about all the dirty dishes her father had left around the kitchen. It was petty, but she wouldn’t spend her birthday cleaning up his mess.

After brushing her teeth, she grabbed her school bag and left the house with a full stomach and a smile on her face. The day had started off well, and she hoped it would continue that way.

Nobody at school remembered or cared that she was a year older, which wasn’t that surprising, but at least the bullying hadn’t been any worse than usual. Another werewolf had tripped her again when she was leaving her Biology class, and there had been a few mean and catty comments from other students—human and werewolf alike.

They were the same things Lily had had to deal with for the last nine years, though, so it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Unfortunately, Kyle must have thought that she had gotten off too easily for the day and decided to humiliate her in front of the entire cafeteria. Lily was walking through the cafeteria, on her way to the doors that led outside and to the tables and benches where she always ate lunch alone, when he stepped in front of her. She tried to walk around him, but he put his arm out in front of her to stop her from leaving.

“Where do you think you’re going, Mutt?” he sneered at her. “You don’t feel like spending your birthday alone, do you?” he asked loudly, getting the attention of all the other students in the space.

He was the first person to mention her birthday, but with the way he was looking at her, Lily couldn’t be glad that he’d remembered it. Besides, his actions on Monday had seemed to remove her crush on him permanently and replace it with fear.

His blonde hair and blue eyes usually gave him a cute surfer look, but now, with him towering over her and looking at her menacingly, he looked anything but cute—he looked dangerous.

“I just want to go outside,” she said quietly, hoping he might just let her go.

“Are you sure? I mean, surely you have some friends you can eat lunch with. Even a mutt like you has friends, right?” he said cruelly, knowing full well that she didn’t have anyone at the school who she could call a friend.

The students in the cafeteria laughed, obviously enjoying Kyle’s mocking of Lily. Their laughter made her cheeks redden, and she had to fight back the tears that desperately wanted to form in her eyes. Luckily, Kyle didn’t stop her as she moved past him this time, and she ran to the exit doors with his scornful laugh ringing after her.

Lily blinked back her tears, hating Kyle for being able to affect her so intensely. He always managed to cut her with his words, leaving her feeling dejected and gutted. She wished he no longer had that effect on her, especially after the way he had hurt her on Monday, but it was clear that he would always have the ability to destroy her with his words.

She ate her sandwich alone, feeling the absence of other people at her table more than ever after Kyle had pointed out her lack of friends. She’d grown used to eating lunch alone and having no friends at school, but it didn’t mean that she liked it. It was hard to have no friends in a place where she spent so many hours of her time.

After lunch, her day didn’t feel so great anymore, but Lily kept reminding herself that she would be seeing her favorite people in the world soon enough. It was the only thing that got her through the rest of the day, and her mood lifted as soon as she walked out of the building to see Amanda, Eli, and Bella all sitting in Amanda’s car in the parking lot.

She ran to the car, everything that had happened at school leaving her mind as Eli and Amanda climbed out to greet her. Lily had waited until most people had already gone home before leaving the school building because she didn’t want to risk Kyle or any of her pack mates seeing them. It was hard to hide how close she was to the family, but they did their best to keep it under the radar and keep Alpha Mason’s attention off of them.

When they were out together, they only went to restaurants that werewolves typically didn’t frequent, and on the rare occasion that they were spotted by their pack mates, they could always explain it away as Amanda and Eli treating her to a meal for babysitting Bella.

“Hey,” Lily greeted them cheerfully.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Amanda said as she pulled Lily in for a long hug.

“Hey, birthday girl,” Eli greeted her next, pulling her into a side hug once his wife had released her.

“Happy birthday!” Bella cheered from the car, making Lily’s smile even wider.

“Hey, pumpkin.” Lily reached through the open car window and ruffled Bella’s hair affectionately.

“Did Mom and Dad tell you that we’re going to go bowling?” the small girl asked when they were all in the car.

“No, they didn’t,” Lily replied with a chuckle. “That sounds like fun,” she said enthusiastically.

They hadn’t gone bowling in years, but from what she could remember, Eli was ridiculously good at it. Thank goodness her right hand wasn't the one that was broken; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to play. As it was, she would struggle a bit and would probably lose, but at least she would be able to take part.

“Afterwards, we’ll go back to the house and order Chinese,” Amanda added. “We’ve got your favorite movie waiting for you.”

“Chocolat?” Lily asked. The movie had been her favorite since the first time she had watched it two years ago.

“Yep. We might just fall asleep watching it, but we’ll try to get through it for you,” Eli said teasingly.

“Oh, shut up! Chocolat is a great movie, and you know it,” she scolded him.

“Eh, it’s a little too artsy for my taste,” he replied.

“Well, too bad, Mr. Has to Have Explosions and Car Chases to be a Good Movie. You’ll just have to suffer through it,”

“That might be a bit too long to be his new nickname,” Amanda joked.

“Nah, I think it’s got a nice ring to it,” Lily replied with a laugh.

Eli and Lily debated the merits of non-action movies the whole way to the bowling alley, but she didn’t make any progress in convincing him that a movie didn’t need gunfights to be considered good.

He was a bit stubborn, and two rounds of bowling later, Lily also learned that Eli was probably the most obnoxious winner in the world. He was doing a victory dance after winning the second game, just like he had the first. Bella and Lily were laughing at the man’s ridiculous dancing, but Amanda was glaring at her husband.

“I am the champion!” Eli cheered loudly, making Lily laugh harder.

She didn’t even care that she hadn’t won the game—watching Eli pump his fist into the air like he was Rocky was better entertainment than winning would have been.

“Yeah, yeah,” Amanda said glumly.

“Daddy, stop making Mom mad,” Bella scolded her father.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, honey. You know I love you,” he said to his wife, gazing at her in adoration.

Eli placed a kiss on her forehead, and Amanda’s glare vanished almost instantly. They were so sweet, and Lily couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous of their relationship. She desperately hoped that whoever her mate was, he would look at her with that same adoring gaze.

Her first shift would start in a few hours, so if he was somewhere close by, she might be able to find that love soon. The thought sent excitement and anticipation through her body.

She was still thinking about the possibility of meeting her mate as they piled into the car and drove to Amanda and Eli’s house.

“I’ll order the Chinese food,” Eli said once they were inside. “What does everyone want?”

After giving him their orders, the three girls went to the living room, and Amanda turned on the TV and searched for the movie. Lily sat down on the sofa, smiling when Bella hopped up and put her head in her lap like she always did when they watched movies.

Lily stroked Bella’s hair while they waited for Eli to finish ordering, and Amanda pressed play when her husband walked into the room and settled himself next to her on the second sofa.

Lily was so engrossed in the movie that she didn’t even notice the doorbell ringing or Eli getting up to grab the food. She thanked him when he handed her the meal, though. They carried on watching the movie as they ate, and when it was over, they took their leftovers to the kitchen.

“Lily, won’t you take Bella to the dining room for a second?” Amanda asked her.

“Yeah, okay,” Lily replied, feeling a bit confused.

She did as asked and sat at the table with Bella. A minute or two later, Amanda and Eli entered the room singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Amanda placed a chocolate cake with lit candles on it in front of Lily while Bella joined in the singing. Lily felt tears stinging her eyes, but this time, they were happy tears. She felt so lucky to have these three people in her life.

She blew out the candles when the song was over and wished for the only thing she needed aside from the family she had in that room—a mate who loved her.