"Always mystify, mislead and surprise the enemy if possible," - Stonewall Jackson.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
__________
IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST. So fast, I am no longer sure of the details. I'm disoriented and scared. I'm terrified out of my mind, but still there is this specific part of me that won't yield.
His lips curl into an angry snarl, his saliva hitting my face, "Do it."
I don't remember how I ended up on the ground, nor do I remember how we got here. My knees are scraped, and so are my hands. My scalp is prickling most likely from my hair being pulled.
My breath is shallow, hoarse and rapid, just like my heart seems to beat out of my chest.
How can one's heart pound this fast, yet beat stubbornly true?
"Do it," he repeats, and I feel my head being forced upright again as he turns me around to shove me down again.
A whimper escapes me, just as I hear another voice groan. I stretch out my hands to cushion my fall, only to collide with a hard chest. I feel the heat radiate off of him, surely as sweaty and dirty as myself.
I feel his heart beat under my fingers, and a peculiar peacefulness awakens by the contact. His pain is much greater than mine, but still like mine his heart doesn't waver either.
"Reject him," my superior commands above me, and I feel another whimper get stuck in the back of my throat. My fingers fist themselves into his shirt in a futile attempt of getting him closer - to become one.
"I-I-I—." My head is forced hard against his throat - against my mate's throat. His pulsating artery beating vividly before my vision. Like it was not enough that I can hear the rush of the blood coursing through it.
"If you don't, I'll kill him," the voice whispers while he continues to hover over me, paying close attention to my every move.
I feel tears form and demand to be released, just like the fearful cry that try to claw its way out of my throat.
This is it. Reject him. Reject him for the sake of my pack. Reject him for the greater good.
I have to reject him, so it is said. I have to do it. If I don't, he'll die. He'll die because of the greater good of the pack. The pack always comes first. That is what I have been taught.
Lunar Noctis above all.
"Davina—" The voice is strained and yet my name rolling off his lips, sends shivers down my spine like it always does.
"Silent menial," he orders sardonically and I gulp noiselessly as I catch a glimpse of my superior's gaze. The disdain of Xavier talking in his presence fully present on his face.
They will never accept him. I know that, but still them looking at him with this much hatred only adds to my despondency.
Where they see hate, I see love.
The tears come in full force as my head digs into his neck, and my fingers continue to claw desperately at his chest.
I know I have to leave him. I have no other option.
"It's okay—" he coughs, a somber smile contouring his features, and I hear my superior growl in disapproval, but I don't notice him.
I have to reject Xavier, I know that, but nothing in this world will make me forget him. So I trace his face to imprint every shape, every furrow, every crinkle, every inch of his face.
I will remember his smile that creates a smile of my own. I'll remember the love in his eyes that sparkle whenever our gazes lock. I'll remember the unconditional love we share and will never find again. I will remember him forever. I will remember everything - no, I need to.
"It's okay," he reiterates, and my breath hitches, furiously shaking my head. The clenching on my heart only becomes more apparent by him willing to sacrifice himself for me. My lips quiver while I try to contain my sobs.
My superior still hovers closely, though he is no longer forcing me downwards. He knows he has won. He knows the pack has won, just like I know I lost.
Lunar Noctis always wins.
Xavier claims my attention. I feel him brush my brow affectionately, and another spark of calmness floods into my bones by the gesture. My accelerated heart eases as he tugs at my chin, claiming my gaze onto his unwavering one.
He does not say a word, not anymore, and neither do I, because, what we feel cannot be expressed with words.
I dwell on the caressing touch as he traces my skin from my chin down to my collarbone, deaf to the deprecating growl my superior utters by watching a mere human touch a lycanthrope.
Then Xavier's hand stops, his palm resting firmly against my heart, and I feel nothing but peace. Every fiber of my being is in harmony - my tears frozen in eternal love, and my heart suspended in never-ending love.
And so when my heart finally jumps, beating in synchronized symphony with his, I know.
"Rejection means refusing to accept someone or something. Rejection means to turn one's back on something as one does not believe." My voice is clear and steady, claiming both of their attention. My superior looks at me with pride, while Xavier's gaze is amicable - forgiving.
"I believe in the greater good," I say, knowing my words are ringing true as I speak them. My superior nods in consent when I look up at him, his stance strong with the authority of the pack.
"I believe in the the greater good," I repeat, this time looking at Xavier. My senses seem to heighten with every word, with every final thought, knowing that what I say next sacrifices my life.
"I reject Lunar Noctis, for it is no longer my home."
_____*_____
A/N: So what do you think? I know you've possibly read your fair share of rejection stories, human mates and whatnot, but I promise you this will not be like any of them.
