Reborn

Chapter Six

I didn't sleep at all. I just sat there all night watching Ryan, waiting for him to wake up. I just keep staring at his face. There are bags under his eyes. He's only 3 years older than me. He's only 24 but he looks like he could be nearly 30. I don't know if it's from the fight or if I did this when I died. I stood up with a sigh and went to the cave entrance. I looked outside at the sun shining through the trees. It made me feel content. I heard movement inside the cave.

"Where am I?" His voice was firm and demanding. I pulled my head back inside the cave.

"Safe." I said simply. 

"Right because I'm so safe in some cave with a rogue." He spat. I looked over at him and we locked eyes. His became wide as saucers and he quickly scooted back until his back hit the cave wall.

"Ja... Y-you... Here.... De-dead..." He was stuttering as he looked me up and down. He was suddenly on his feet and running towards me. He grabbed my upper arms tightly. The look in his eyes was intense. 

"I felt you die." He whispered. I reached up and took his face in my hands. I could tears forming. He pulled me into a hug. It was tight and I could barely breathe but it felt so good to have my brother in my arms after all this time. He was sobbing into my shoulder. I slowly led him to the floor where we stayed in a tight embrace. After a little while he calmed down and released me, but stayed very close.

"How are you alive?" He asked. I smiled widely.

"I shifted. I was attacked by a rogue and he killed me. I was dead for three days. Then suddenly I woke up and I had a wolf." I told him. He was silent for a few seconds before pulling me into his arms again.

"I knew you would! I knew it!" He yelled, clearly ecstatic. I just laughed. He pulled away and he was suddenly very serious.

"Why didn't you come back?" He asked. I sighed. 

"Because everyone thought I was dead. I was thinking that if I joined a pack that it might get out that I'm actually not dead and I just didn't want that. So I became a rogue." I replied.

"Yeah but like why not even a short visit?" I felt my heart harden.

"I didn't want to see Damien." I said flatly. Ryan looked into his lap and fiddled with his fingers. 

"After you died, Damien came to me and told me that you were his mate. He told me that he had made a horrible mistake and that your death was his fault." His voice was soft and gentle.

"Well it was." I'm not sugarcoating anything. It was his fault that I was killed. Ryan nodded.

"It took me a long time to forgive him. We've been friends again for only like six months." He told me. 

"Did he tell you why he rejected me? He never told me." I asked, my curiosity spiking. He nodded.

"You were human. He needed a strong Luna. After you died his mother went off at him. It was terrible. She told him that you were chosen as his mate because you were more than worthy of being Luna." My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Damien's mother and I were never close. I saw her around occasionally. 

"He stepped down as Alpha until six months ago." My eyebrows rose impossibly further. 

"Stepped down?" I asked.

"Yeah. Your death really got to him for a long time. He seemed to be getting better recently so he took over again. He's doing ok." Wow. After being rejected I thought that he wouldn't care at all. I have hated him for three years now. I hated him for hurting me. I was nothing but kind to him and he had the nerve to reject me. 

"I was actually on a mission for him when you found me. I was supposed to be going to the neighbouring Alpha to see if he would come to the pack for a meeting. Clearly I never made it back to the pack." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Why did he send you? You're just a pack member." I pointed out.

"Like I said, we got close. We're friends. He made me his Beta." My jaw dropped.

"Holy shit. What happened to the old Beta?" I asked.

"He was killed in a rogue attack."

"Serves him right. He was an asshole." I spat. He was never nice to me. Never called me my name. Just 'human'. Dickhead. We fell into a comfortable silence. I've really missed this. Just chatting. It's really nice.

"You should come with me back to the pack." Ryan said out of nowhere.

"No." I replied instantly. I'm not going back there. I refuse.

"Please?" 

"No."

"For me?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No." He started giving me a begging look which morphed into puppy dog eyes. His bottom lip trembled. Be strong. I can't give in.

"No." The look dropped. 

"How about this, you come with me back to the pack but you can stay outside the borders? You don't have to come in. Just stay nearby." He suggested. 

"Do you know how the pack will react to having a rogue lingering at the edge of the territory?" I asked him. Answer is not well.

But imagine all the trouble you could cause. Jordan made an appearance. I could feel her smiling evilly. I felt the same smile creep on to my face. Ryan looked worried.

"You know what? On second thought, I'll go."