The Rejects

Because Omega.

I guess that pretty much sums up my whole life: because omega.

My pack disapproves of me, my parents disowned me, my friends evaded me, and my mate rejected me. Why? Because omega.

Apparently, being an omega in the pack means you're the weakest, and you're insignificant. You don’t mean shit. And sometimes, even their shit means more than you do. And that's really depressing.

I never met my parents. My aunt took care of me until I shifted. After that, she left me to myself, deeming it unnecessary to notify me that she was kicking me out of her place until she threw my clothes out the window. But it was fine with me.

Besides, her eldest daughter, Angel, never really liked me. The way she glared at me made it obvious. As holy as her name might be, her personality betrayed her.

The ones I used to hang out with seem to have amnesia. Apparently, they all decided never to remember my name and avoid eye contact at all costs. At first, I was confused, but later on, I realized they're all daughters and sons of our gamma, our beta, or our alpha, which are all out of my league.

Alpha. Huh. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Dione?" A voice called.

I blinked as I snapped out of it. I guess the bitter taste was the coffee that I was drinking quite absent-mindedly. I looked at the woman in front of me with a frown on her face. With her shoulder-length brown hair and azure blue eyes, she was charming.

"What?" I asked, putting my cup of coffee down the table.

Her eyes penetrated through my soul, "You were thinking about him again." She said, her voice sounded more like a statement than a question.

She's one of those friends I used to hang out with, but since she's an omega like me, she didn't have amnesia. In fact, we got closer over the years. Close enough that she knows how my mind works.

"I wasn't," I mumbled as I fiddled with my fingers and looked out of the glass wall of the café.

"I wasn't," she mimicked in a relatively high and annoying voice before her natural voice came back again, "You were thinking of him. You always have this look when you do."

"You seem to know a lot about how I look," I deadpan.

"You look ugly." She shrugged her shoulders.

I glared, "I wasn't thinking about him, okay? I wasn't." When the words left my mouth, it sounded like I was convincing myself more than her.

"How many times have you said the same thing?" She raised a brow at me, "And you're still doing it anyway, so excuse me if I lack faith in your concept of 'moving on.'"

I frowned, "You haven't even moved on yourself."

"At least I wasn't acting like it," she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

Phoebe huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest but didn't say anything. She doesn't have to. We both know she's right. I am not a good liar, and my heart is as transparent as these glass walls.

This coffee shop is our haven, I guess. It's quiet, and the smell of coffee calms me down. There weren't many werewolves in the shop, which we were thankful for. The last thing we wanted was wolves with higher ranks looking down on us with a raised brow.

I was watching as life flashed before me, at wolves walking by either by groups or by themselves. Whatever they were doing, everything seemed to be peaceful.

Or at least I thought.

I think I jinxed myself. Because just when I thought everything was perfect, life slapped me hard on the face. I see our future Alpha, Kratos, walking with his hands intertwined with our future Luna, Eris. They were smiling at each other like time didn't exist in the first place.

I'm sure I didn't take a sip of my coffee, but there was yet another bitter taste at the tip of my tongue. Kratos must've felt my eyes on him, because he glanced my way. I saw how his smile faded before I looked away. I didn't even know I had both of my hands clenched into fists, my knuckles white with tension.

My green eyes met with Phoebe's blue ones, and self-pity enveloped me to my very core. I didn't even say anything. We just stared at each other. But she understood. She knows how painful it is. She knows pain when she sees it.

"He seems happy without you," she commented, glancing at the glass wall for a moment before looking back at me.

"Geez, you really have to rub it in?" I muttered and looked down at my fingers. Seems like my cuticles look more interesting.

She gave me a tight-lipped smile, "It's okay. Second chance mates exists for a reason," she says, trying to sound optimistic. But it seems like she's convincing herself more than me.

"I don't know," I whispered, looking back outside through the glass walls. Kratos wasn't there anymore, just as I expected. "I never wanted one anyway."

Silence fell between us.

It was idiotic, but if my mate never really wanted me in the first place, how could my second chance mate want me? For me, second chance mates aren't my second shot for love. It's just a second thing to break my heart. A second rejection. One heartache had me barely wanting to live.

I couldn't imagine doing it the second time around.

I wouldn't want another year of sleepless nights, crying silently against my pillows so no one would hear my agony. Those silent nights where the whispers of despair lived in my mind, barely keeping my sanity to myself. Those woeful nights where my failures echoed around the four corners of my room to haunt me.

Those empty nights were spent until the crack of dawn only to feel that the pain feels worse. It's always there. And you just wait for the night to come back and repeat everything. It's an unhealthy cycle that just becomes a habit until you don't feel anymore.

And it suddenly seems like you've been consumed by too much distress, that a drop of happiness feels so foreign. So different. So out of place. So you just welcome the pain with open arms. Because it's the only feeling that never left you. The only thing that seems permanent.

"I never lost hope," Phoebe says as she played the rim of her mug with her fingers.

"I don't want to get my hopes up only for it to go tumbling down," I answered, finally looking at her. I sighed as I slumped on my seat like a deflated balloon.

"You still want him," she states, a small smile playing on her lips. She didn't even have to ask me, she knew it already, "Even after everything."

I bit the insides of my cheeks before I sighed, "There's nothing wrong with loving someone who doesn't love you back. Especially when he's supposed to be yours in the first place."

She nodded silently before she took her mug of coffee in her hands.

I stared at her for a couple of seconds before I blurted the words out without thinking, "Zelos. You still want him too."

Phoebe almost spat her coffee at my face. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets as she looked at me, "What?"

"You heard me. Don't pretend you didn't," I smirked. I like it when the tables are turned.

She puts her mug back down before she spoke, her words came out slowly, "I saw him yesterday."

"And?"

"We talked," she shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. Well, it was big deal. Our mates who rejected us made sure they completely ignore us all the time. It was a miracle that he talked to her, let alone notice her.

"And?" I persisted.

"He's happy with his chosen mate."

"And?" I sighed, "Geez, will you cut the suspense and get on with it already?"

"He introduced me to his first-born pup. You know, the one he had a year ago."

Oh. Oh. "That’s..." I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Depressing?" Phoebe finished the sentence for me with a small smile on her face, "I know. Our topics are always depressing."

"Because our lives are always depressing."

She let out a broad smile, "True." No one spoke for a couple of beats until Phoebe bit her lower lip, "You would've been a great Luna."

I stiffened. I let out a bitter laugh, "Kratos thinks otherwise. Apparently, I'm too weak to stand beside him to rule the pack."

"But—"

"I'm an omega," I shrugged my shoulders, cutting her off. I'm grateful that Phoebe believes in me but at the end of the day, it's always Kratos' decision that matters.

I'm an omega, and Eris is the daughter of the Alpha in our neighboring pack. It wasn't a tough competition. Kratos could've chosen Eris even with his eyes closed.

The way Phoebe's eyes dimmed made me know she understands. She's been rejected by the Gamma of our pack, who chose another Gamma as his new mate. And had pups with her. I could only imagine the torture just by thinking about the fact that I'll be dealing with the same thing when Kratos mated with Eris...

I couldn't stand the idea of him having pups with a different woman. Suddenly my coffee wasn’t hot anymore.

Phoebe and I sat in silence, both enveloped with our own thoughts. I didn't know how many minutes ticked by, or hours for that matter. I didn't even realize that I was lost in deep trance until a beep shortly vibrated against my jeans pocket.

Fishing my phone out, I read a text from Athena in the Pack Infirmary:

Athena: Three rejects.

Dione: I’m on my way.

Three rejects in one day. Usually, we get at most two rejects a month. I'm not good in mathematics or statistics, but three rejects a day? That's a lot. And the month won't even reach its end until the next week.

And something tells me we'll be getting another one.

Or two.

I ran to the Pack Infirmary as fast as I could with Phoebe behind. Most of the rejects help out in curing werewolves who suffers great pain. Been there, done that. No one helped us go through our own demons, so we want to help others. We wouldn't want anyone drowning in their own misery.

And believe me, being rejected feels as if drowning is the best option.

All of the rejects in our pack will be immediately sent to the infirmary to be sedated. Once you are rejected, you feel like death is slowly eating you from inside. It's that painful. And after that, when the pain slightly goes away, you want to feel the pain again. You seek hurt.

So you inflict pain upon yourself.

All rejects have been through that, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't. Suicide has crossed my mind every time I was alone. And that's what we're here for: keeping the rejects as safe as possible. Because after the howling and thrashing and screaming, a silent death comes after.

At this point, we're trying to keep three rejects from killing themselves.

The moment we opened the door and stepped in, I was slapped with a scent of burnt coffee beans. It was so sudden, I almost tumbled down. Phoebe got a hold of my shoulders and frowned down at me, "You okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah," I mumbled with a frown as I try to stand straight.

I looked around the infirmary to see four busy omegas running about. All of which are rejects. The white walls, marbled floor, labyrinthine hallways and the tension in the air mixed with the smell of antiseptic. I've been in and out of this place for what felt like forever, and I’ve memorized every part of it like the back of my palm.

I spotted Athena the same time she saw me. A wave of relief crossed her features, "Thank the moon goddess you're here!" She said.

With her caramel colored hair and brown eyes, being around her feels like home. She exudes that kind of emotion, making you feel calm and safe. I gave her a small nod, "Three rejects?"

Her smile wavered, "I know. It's alarming," she says softly, just when we heard a loud shriek of pain from one of the rooms where a fresh reject was confined. The three of us winced.

More screams now. More suicidal thoughts after. It's the life cycle of a reject.

"More rejects..." I slowly shook my head, rubbing the bottom of my nose to eliminate the scent of burnt coffee bean wafting just below it.

Phoebe huffed beside me, "It means more werewolves who aren't content with whom the moon goddess paired them with."

A blonde woman with soft freckles on her nose walked towards us and looked at Athena, "Patients A101 and A102 are sedated. However, patient A103 is a tough one. We can't handle him. He's thrashing out a lot."

"Wait," Phoebe frowned, "Did I hear it correctly? He? The third reject is a he?"

Somehow, my heartbeat quickened its pace. I blinked as I looked at Athena, "Is this true?" I asked, sounding as mystified as Phoebe.

It's rare that a male wolf is rejected by his mate. Most of the time, the rejects are either omega or female. Because apparently, males are always stronger than females so we get to be rejected a lot more than males. However, if the third reject is indeed a male...

He's the second rejected male that we’ve encountered. After Deimos, that is.

Athena nodded, and I think I was about to self-combust. I don't know why, but I have this sudden urge to run and find something. Or someone. I don't know; I'm really confused. "He's got it worse than the rest." She says.

I frowned and took the folder that the blonde was holding. I opened it to see the vitals of the patient A103 and his background. After a couple of seconds of reading, I almost threw the folder and ripped it to pieces. I closed my eyes shut, gripping the damnable file in my hand.

I shouldn't have read it.

Phoebe glanced at the folder to read it herself. As clear as day, the letters and words mixed together and they make the perfect sense;

Name: Atlas Age: 20 years old Rank: Omega Mate: Eris (rejected)

I cleared my throat as I looked up at Athena with a stoic expression on my face.

At that moment, I was sure I was going to be the fourth reject patient. I want to scream and thrash and howl in pain. Then I want to kill myself right after. They must've read my mind, because Phoebe slung her arm around my shoulder and Athena gave me a sympathetic smile.

Kratos rejected me a couple of months ago, and Eris just rejected her mate. It wouldn't be long until they mated each other and live happily ever after.

I hand back the folder to the blonde, her eyes dancing with concern. I guess she wouldn't want to deal with a fourth reject, since three is already a handful for them. I looked at Athena like what I saw didn't matter at all, "We better sedate patient A103. He's a male and an omega. He's more prone to suicidal thoughts."

Phoebe nodded, "Being an omega sure pains his ego. Now that he's rejected, I doubt he wants to live."

My heart hurt at her words, my wolf almost snapped at her. For some reason, I wouldn't want the thought of him killing himself. For some reason, I want to do my best in keeping him alive. For some unexplainable reason, I want to be as close to him as possible.

But at the same time, I'm angry. So angry at the fact that my mate is in someone else's arms. And that they have a future together. Having these mixed emotions is frustrating.

The blonde nodded, "We need at least five to hold him down."

When we made our way to the room where the patient was confined, my wolf became more restless. And the scent of burnt coffee beans became stronger. I frowned at these strange behaviors and feelings but waved them off. It's just nothing. I guess my wolf still hasn't moved on from the truth that we just learned.

Reaching his room, Athena slowly opened the door. This time, I did tumble down. My bottom hit the hard-marbled floor, and Phoebe yelled my name in panic, "Dione! Oh, goddess, Dione!" She says as she tries to help me stand up.

Athena also helped me up and stared at me, "Your wolf may still be in shock. Maybe you should rest."

I shook my head and massaged my temples as I leaned my body on the doorframe, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Phoebe argued.

I looked at her, "I'm fine, okay?" I turned to look at the room around us and froze as I saw patient A103 being held back by three omegas (including the blonde) on his bed. A single word left my lips, sounding breathless, "Atlas."

The moment that my tongue rolled with his name, my wolf purred. At the same time, Atlas stopped thrashing around and screaming, but the omegas still held him just in case he jumped off the bed. He looked over at me and we stared at each other for a couple of beats.

Suddenly, there were three words that were stuck in my throat. Second chance mate.

My feet worked on their own and came closer to him. We never broke eye contact. When I reached his right side of the bed, my eyes blinked in realization. The reason why my wolf was acting weird; the reason why I was feeling mixed emotions. The reason is here, lying on the bed with his eyes staring straight at mine.

Oh, those beautiful stormy gray eyes, curly raven black hair, Roman nose, and thin lips. I knew that look. I've been like that before, and it only takes one to know one. He looks broken, and his wolf wants his mate. His true soul mate. The determination in his eyes mirrored mine. He wants Eris back as much as I want Kratos back.

And I knew at that moment, that we'd get along just fine.

"I'm Dione," I smirked, breaking the silence.

He stared up at me. At the sound if my name, he tensed up and anger flashed on his handsome face, "I know you," he spat, "You're Kratos' mate."

I almost flinched at his harsh words. Kratos is still a touchy subject to me, "I was his mate. Until he rejected me."

"Exactly," he continued to glare at me, and I started making a victory dance in my mind, "This is all your fault!"

He began thrashing out again, looking as if he wanted to lunge out at me and kill me. He had that look of murder in his eyes. Phoebe went beside me immediately and glared at Atlas, "How can this be her fault?"

"She's the reason!" Atlas kept shaking violently that even Athena had to help in pinning him down, "She's the reason why Eris rejected me!"

I let out a laugh. I've never laughed like that before; so heartily and true. I couldn’t believe my luck. After all those months of torture and heart break, I’d finally found Atlas. And he finally found me. We were the solutions to our problems. He might see that now, but I could see various possibilities.

Atlas looked at me like I lost my mind. Maybe I did, "What's so funny?"

"You," I smirked.

Phoebe huffed at Atlas, being in full I'm-your-best-friend-I'll-protect-you mode, "Eris was bound to reject you anyway. She got her whole future planned with Kratos. They're happy without you, really."

I nudged Phoebe's side with my elbow, "You have to stop rubbing it on our faces."

"Sorry," she shrugged her shoulders, not sounding sorry at all.

Atlas screamed and thrashed even more. The omegas were finding it really hard to pin him down now. He's a male, and a reject, which makes him stronger. It was a sight to behold, watching your second chance mate to be as broken as you are. And to want the same thing as you do; true mates. I never wanted second chance mates, and Atlas seems to share the same idea.

And I bet he'll like the idea that I'll tell him as soon as he's sane enough.

Athena pulled me out of my thoughts when she yelled, "A little help here!"

Immediately, Phoebe went to her side to help while I smirked at Atlas who kept glaring at me. Athena lets out a syringe and instantly gives Atlas the sedative that he badly needs. The three omegas and Phoebe held him as his thrashing slowly became less violent with every second.

But his deathly glare never left me.

Ever so slowly, his body calmed. They all moved away from him, waiting for unconsciousness to drown Atlas. Before he could close his eyes and drift off to sleep, he muttered something under his breath. A single word that had me letting out a triumphant smile.

"Mate."