I had accepted the fact that I couldn't avoid Adrian forever, but I could at least try. For the next few days, I would not look at him or talk to him, and when he walked towards me, I pretended to have something else to do. There had to be a reason for me to have forgotten about him, and I didn't want to find out what it was. It was for the best, I kept repeating to myself. We could now start over as nothing had happened. As long as I kept that pseudo-mate under control, of course. My heart seemed to stop every time my eyes caught a glimpse of him, which wasn't helping at all!

Abe had told me, before the attack I made a potion for myself. He didn't seem to know the details about it, nor I remembered what it was for, but I could imagine from the herbs he said I used on the thing. He did ask me if I could reverse it... I didn't know if I wanted to. Of course, I probably didn't even imagine Andrian and I would be living together by the time I've made that thing.

There came a point when I couldn't avoid him any longer, despite my efforts. One of my wolves had been attacked during the night, outside the property, while staying guard for the pack. Some of them had been taking turns to when to do it, and that boy, Nathan, took the shift right after midnight.

Someone had attacked him in his wolf form, probably an ambush because Nathan didn't seem to have time to turn himself into one, so visceral was the attack. He stood there, agonizing, for at least an hour until the next guard found him and brought him into the mansion. First, people thought it could be the work of the mutts, but no... They wouldn't harm a lone wolf like that, for they would expect a worse retaliation than the previous battle. And besides that, there were no other scents we picked from Nathan, but the ones from our pack.

They called me in the middle of the night. Adrian stood beside his bed, as some healers tended for his wounds. The boy screamed in pain, but he would be okay, we were informed. His screams woke up everyone in the house, but only a few had the guts to get close to see what was going on. It didn't matter though, soon all of us were in the patio.

Adrian's voice echoed like thunder through the garden. I wish I could say something at that moment, but I was already making a huge effort not to let my wolf come out, while my fingers urged to suffocate a neck for that.

And despite Adrian's curtly and steely words, no one came out as the culprit for that vile act, as I expected. My eyes met Adrian's burning glaze at me, as he hoped me to do something in that situation. Oh, I would do something, he just wouldn't like what I had in mind. With his head, the man pointed to the door and passed my way. I soon followed him, meeting in his office where no one would bother us and the screams from Nathan's pain was inaccessible.

I crossed my arms, staring at him defiantly. "We both know who did it."

He raked his hair back. It was getting longer than he was used to, but it suited him to have those long black curls. Why was I thinking about that?

"Even if we do, he didn't admit it."

"Of course we know who!" I chided, hitting the table with my open hand, which seemed to catch his attention. "Do we really need that? We can't have a war inside the pack! We already have to battle enough wolves outside here to have to worry about one of us. What now? I'll have to sleep with one eye open for a wolf who doesn't like me?" Not that I already didn't do it usually.

Adrian sighed, not seeming affected by my words. I was being extremely serious and he knew I was right. "What do you suggest then?"

That thought didn't have to pass twice through my mind. "Banish him."

His eyes opened wider as he stared at me, silent, for a few minutes. It was his idea to unify our packs, and he would have to deal with that now as the strong man he was. It had to come from Adrian, or the wolves wouldn't respect this decision.

"We can't do that. He knows too much about our pack. Can you imagine the first place he'll go if we banish him?"

My breath was heavy as I stared at him. Of course, I would, I just wasn't willing to live with a man like that inside our home.

His expression changed, but not enough for me to think he had changed his mind. "We need to make him confess and then take action."

I could live with that. For now.

Adrian left before I did, and when in the middle of the hallway, Abe approached me with a taut look. "Whatever the punishment for the guilty is... I should get it too."

What was that now? Frowning, I shook my head.

"I was the one who convinced you to move here with our pack. It's my fault."

Abe was crazy if he thought I would just punish him because he gave me bad advice — though I was still trying to figure that out. And anyway, the final decision was mine, not his. If anyone was to blame for Nathan hurting on the bed, that one was me. "That's not happening. Don't be insane."

Abe gulped, pressing his hand strongly in my arm. "I had ulterior motives to wish us to move here."

That caught me by surprise, and incapable to speak, I just tipped my head staring steely at him. Abe was always there for me, thinking about his alpha and the pack's safety before his own. It was hard to believe he was thinking about something else when adviced me to move to Adrian's.

"I had a mate," Abe said. And I wished it was good news. "With one of the male mutts from the time of the attack."

____

Sooo, how are you enjoying the story so far?

I felt bad for Abe not having a mate until now, and I feel even worse now that I gave him an impossible mate, but at least he knows love now — not that he didn't love Syera before, but it's different.

My heart is already hurting even though I didn't write the rest of the story, cause I sense there'll be a lot of loss and heartbreak from now on.

Kind of sad, but extremely happy for being able to write Rejected and Loved again!

If you're liking it don't forget to vote, it helps me a lot.