The Rejected Alpha's Mate

Lily's POV.

"Lily!"

From my sleep I heard my name being screamed. It was really loud but I was so lost in my world of fantasy dreams that I refused to care about whatever was happening in the real world. Or no,.maybe I just don't want to come back to reality because my reality is painful! I just wanted to remain in my fantasy world where I feel happy and at least loved by the sun which has been smiling down at me without being harsh on me. The leaves are waving and I just feel they are really happy to have me, unlike in my real world where no one wants me, where I feel unloved and unwanted.

"Lily!" I heard it again, this time I tried to force myself back to my reality but I was too late as my father's wife got to me first.

"Oh no!" I jumped up from the floor as I felt my entire body drenched with cold water. "Oh you worthless thing! How long do I have to scream at the top of my voice before you can become free from your dumbness!" aunty Lena yelled at me at the very top of her voice. I shivered. Not just from her yelling but from the cold I felt penetrating into my already opened skin pores.

"I'm sorry mother. I…" I tried to plead.

"Oh will you shut that thing you call a mouth! I have told you countless times, I am not and would never be your mother! Quit irritating me!" I nodded fearfully as my body shivered in the cold. The half torn thing I wore as clothes did no good to my situation as it even helped the cold to penetrate even further and offered me little protection. I was dying to change into a dry one but I can't since aunty Lena is still standing before me obviously furious at me for a reason I don't know.

"Go fill up those drums!" she said and turned away. Once she was gone, I fell on my knees as tears clouded my eyes.

"Dear God, fasten the days please," I sobbed as I sniffed back the mucus that was threatening to spill down from my nose. I needed to go run aunty Lena's errands as fast as possible but I couldn't stop myself from thinking and reminiscing over the last year and more than a half months of my life. It has been nothing but hell, a hell I prayed to escape every single day of my life.

I was just sixteen years old and born into a werewolf family and it happened to be my birthday on that very day. I still could remember the joy and happiness I felt on that day as my family prepared for my special day.

"Hi daddy, hi mommy," I greeted and hugged my parents as I received my birthday presents from them. "Oh my! I love this!" I cried in happiness the moment I tore open the present my mother got me. It was a beautiful sharp dagger that not only shone brightly but reflected lights as well.

"My darling, I thought I should get it for you since you would be starting your fighting lessons soon. Keep it well," my mother said, pecking me on my forehead. I giggled happily and opened my father's present as well. I loved it too and was very happy. Since I didn't have any siblings, I only got gifts from my parents before the party started and would likely get more from the people and my friends that would come for my party. I couldn't wait! I was so excited. Candles were lit, beautiful scented flowers were well decorated in my house and even ribbons were tied at various places on that day. Soft music played in the stereo whilst people drank, ate and made merry.

Sounds of laughter rang and everyone's faces were filled with smiles until tragedy struck like lightning that before I could realise what was happening, I became the youngest cursed teen werewolf in my pack accused of killing her own mother. The memories hurt me every day from that day to this moment and there wasn't a day that passed that I never thought about it and wished the hands of the clock could be turned back, just maybe I could have fought and saved my mother, even if I lost my life in the process. It is even better that I had died that day than the misfortune and pain I have felt since then.

"Lilyyyyyy! You killed your mother? Nooooo!" I watched in horror as my father screamed in anger and pain. I had never seen him in that manner before and was afraid. I was holding a sharp knife covered in blood and the lifeless body of my mother was lying in my arms that had become weak. I was too numb to speak, too scared, too terrified to utter any word. Who would believe my words over the obvious clear picture and scene they were seeing. I couldn't find my words as much as I tried to say something.

"I didn't do it…" I said which sounded more like a whisper as people looked at me with glare and clenched teeths, their eyes blazing the color of anger.

My father scared me the most. On that day, as my sixteenth birthday party was ongoing, I had started to feel strange and decided to step out to get some fresh air. I started to head towards the woods, I didn't know why but I felt a weird force pushing me towards there and I couldn't stop myself from going further as I continued to move. All of a sudden I heard the voice of my mother. It wasn't clear at first but I swore it was my mom and hurried towards the place I heard her voice. I nearly peed on my panties as I saw two werewolves fighting. They already shifted shapes and were trying to tear themselves apart. I noticed one of them to be my mommy but couldn't recognize the other one.

"Yaaaak!" My mother growled at the other werewolf and charged at her. I watched in hiding and prayed my mother wouldn't get hurt until another werewolf appeared from nowhere and joined hands with the other werewolf to fight my mother. Fear entered my body. It became one against two which means my mother was losing out on them. My mother is a powerful werewolf and can fight really well but still I couldn't help but fear for her life as the two other wolves were beginning to win her. The other one scratched my mother's belly causing my mother to have a scratch. Visible tiny blood could be seen lurking. My mother snarled at them and charged angrily at them but she was hit and made to fall on the ground. The other werewolf charged at her while she was on the ground and pounced on her scratching and biting her.

"Stop! Don't hurt my mother!" I yelled as I jumped out of my hiding place, my eyes blazed in anger. I couldn't take it anymore, I couldn't watch anymore while they hurt my mother. "Princess no… Run! Go! Mummy will be fine…" My mum forced herself to speak. She has changed back to her human form and lay naked on the floor. I wanted to rush to cover her with my scarf when the other werewolf snarled at me, making me stop in my tracks. I wished they could shift back to humans so I could see their faces. I tried again to run to my mother's side but I was thrown away by the first werewolf with his claws.

I fell on the ground hitting my head slightly as I fell. "Ouch! Sto...op...don't hurt my…" I winced in pain as I felt my vision become hazy. I tried to help mom but I was too weak to get up. I watched as one of them changed shape into human and lay tired on the ground,.then she slowly came and stood before me,searching and collecting the dagger present mummy gave me. "Uh...give that back...it's not yours…" I struggled to say. I couldn't see the woman's face clearly as I still couldn't see clearly. She approached my mom and stabbed her with the knife. I heard my mom whimpering in pain, tears gushed out from my eyes. Using the last of the strength I had in me, I forced myself to crawl to my mother.

"Oh no no no...why...nooooooooooo," I howled with my werewolf's voice as I felt my mother's weak pulse. My hands were shaking. "Mummy hold on, I will save you okay, don't die on me please mom!" I cried and picked up the dagger that was used to stab her. Blood covered it. "No, it's okay my daughter...you will become the strongest werewolf ever...do...not be... afraid… I'm sorry...I wouldn't be… there…for you…" "Mum! Please stop, let me help you help…"

Tears were pouring from my eyes as I watched my mother lose her breath slowly.

"No, don't move...just...hold me…" She stopped me from doing anything but holding her. I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face as I held my mother in her last moment. I heard the footsteps of some people approaching. It happened to be my father with some people. He rushed towards me and stood before me in shock. I thought he was in the same mood that I was but what he said next shocked me to my bone marrow.

"How could you do this Lily! You killed your own mother! Why! Why?" I was beyond confused and wondered where that was coming from but my lips felt so dry to utter a word. "Today, for doing such an imaginable thing and committing this atrocity, I curse you! Until in the next two years, you will be severely punished and you shall know only pain in your life! I curse you Lily!"

Yes, my father cursed me that day.

My whole life changed too; from happy to sad, everyday, pain, pain and pain. To make it worse my father married another woman, Lena to spite me. I became a slave in my father's house, hated by my family and everyone, except my best friend, Helen who tried her best to always console me.

"Lily are you done filling those drums?" Aunty Lena called from her room causing me to wake from my thoughts. I had no idea I had trailed off in thoughts and scrambled up to my feet to go run errands for aunty Lena because I know if she meets me there without me being done with it, she'd have my head. I lifted my tired and weak body up and off to work my arse off. All I prayed for everyday of my life was for my eighteenth birthday to come, only then can I be free or so I thought.

Lily's POV.

"Move it! I said move it!" my instructor, Jude, commanded beating my back with a stick.

I groaned inwardly in pain from the wipe but continued to move. We were carrying bags of packed sand from a location to a given distance chosen by the instructor.

Yes, that is what I experience every morning as part of my punishment and curse from my father from six in the early hours of the morning to past twelve noon. It was torture and hell but I kept on begging my weak body to hold on as my eighteenth birthday approached faster.

I was made to undergo hard training that older werewolves that are part of the warriors undergo. For them, they are being trained to be stronger but for me, it is like a punishment to me.

I stumbled on a stone as I was moving and fell on my face while the bag of sand fell too and tore letting the sand spill.

"Hey you! What are you doing? You think you are here for a joke?" The instructor approached me. He lifted his stick to hit me again…

"I can't continue...I need to rest," I demanded weakly. It was the fifth round I was going and I haven't had a rest. I have been made to work at the pace of men more able bodied than me as if that's not enough, I can't even be allowed to carry the ones my age should carry.

"Rest?" He scoffed angrily at me.

"I was warned severely by your father to never allow you rest! Now get up and do your work?" He ordered beating me again.

A tear dropped from my eye as I managed to.force myself up and summound strength and courage to continue my work.

"Move it! Move it now!" The instructor continued to yell while I joined the others.

At the sixth round, I was already feeling my bones and muscles cracking, I couldn't feel my.legs anymore but I dare not pause nor try to take a rest. I still continued but with a reduced pace grateful to heavens for taking the instructor away from my presence for a while.

I had no idea where he went but I was glad, at least I could take a short rest while doing the work.

"Hey you! What are you doing? Hurry up and join the others for the next training session!" He barked at me.

I hurried up a bit but my eyes were becoming dizzy. I had only eaten once the whole of the previous day and had nothing too today but that is not what the instructor cares to know.

To my father he is punishing me for my sins, but to me, I am getting stronger even though it's happening above the pace and the way I would have wanted. My father hates me and it breaks my heart each time I remember it. My father cursed me without hearing my own side of the story. Whatever he was told that brought him to the scene that made him cursed his daughter and condemn her to a life of pain and slavery was what I couldn't say.

I tried so hard to explain to him but he wouldn't listen. He didn't trust me even when I was his daughter and condemned me.

I get bruised everyday while training, running errands for my father's wife, but none ever hurt me the way my father's hatred does.

By the time we were done with the day's training, I was sore with pain and my whole body ached to a point of no stopping. When I fell, my knees were bruised and blood gushed from it.

I wasn't feeling the pain of the bruise at all as the pain I felt in my heart was painful enough for me to not feel any physical pain anymore.

"Here, take this," I turned to see a bottle of water being handed to me by Marcus.

"Oh dear girlfriend, you look so horrible," Helen, my best friend, said , making a sad face.

I forced a smile, "Silly you, I am alright."

"You always say that but you look so terrible, asssh, sometimes, I just wish we can shift shape so I can kick your daddy's butt!"

"Helen!" I scolded her, "He is still my father, you know that right?"

Helen made a silly face and scoffed.

Marcus had a smile tucked by the side of his lips. "You girls stop now alright. Lily, are you done with your training for today?"

I nodded a yes and gulped down the water he gave me.

"Oh my! Were you that thirsty?" Marcus said who was shocked with the way I gulped down a bottle of water at a go.

I heaved out a sigh of relief and belched out loud.

"Disgusting! Irk! Let's get out of here," Helen said with a disgusted look and shifted away from me.

"You irk me right now, Lily," Marcus complained too and started to head out.

I laughed at my silly act, "Hey! You guys wait up!" I yelled and ran after them to match their pace.

"Oh, Lily I'm so happy for you, soon you will be eighteen and become free, aren't you excited?" Helen asked as we walked home.

I sighed tiredly. Of course I am happy I would be eighteen in a couple of days and would be free too but I was even more excited that I would meet my mate but I didn't want to show my excitement so I kept it hidden.

"Of course, I am happy… I mean I am excited, yeah,"

"What about you, has a mate been chosen for you?" I asked, facing Helen.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you but guess what?" Helen said excitedly.

"Spill it girl, I'm not good at guessing, you know that," I complained, making a serious face.

"Okay, okay. Calm down now. Take a deep breath, take another deep breath…"

"Helen! Tell me now!" I yelled, tired of her pranks.

"Hey, I'm still her girl." Marcus said behind us.

"Of course we know mister, now spill it Helen,"

"Well, a mate has been chosen for me…"

"Oh really? I'm so happy for you girl. Tell me, is he handsome, is he tall? Is he…" I ranted on and on excited for Helen.

Helen's face turned sad and dejected.

"What's wrong? Did I say something bad?" I was worried that I might have asked a wrong question putting Helen in a sad mood.

"I don't like him, he is so fat and makes an irky sound with his nose!" Helen said and started crying.

"Oh dear Helen, that was errrm, a little bit harsh… But he is still your soulmate and the moon goddess has chosen him for you. What can you do?" I tried to console her but she wouldn't stop crying.

"Gosh! Girls whine a lot. Catch you guys later. I guess I should give you girls enough space to whine all you want. Bye!" Marcus waved us bye and left, leaving me with Helen that wasn't ready to stop whining about her mate whom she considers fat.

"It's okay… Soon you will fall for him, don't you think?" I tried to cajole her into finding a way to like her mate.

"Never! I will find another mate!" She said and stomped away.

"Find another mate?" I asked myself out loud. How can she do that? We are werewolves and each one of us has our soulmate that the moon goddess chooses for us and that is only one except in some special or rare cases when some people are lucky to have been born and have two mates. I shrugged as I thought about it, she could actually have two mates. Lucky her then, since some people like me are yet to even have one for ourselves and there she is rejecting the one she already has.