Page 3 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!
“I’ve already left your pack. You heard me reject it and you felt the pack bond break. As for you, Joliee, good luck. Any wolf that rejects his true mate for a chosen one like you is a sorry mate to have. I feel sorry for the pack having you as Luna, as you are selfish and lazy. Goddess help you all.”
Chapter 2
*Adira*
Walking away from the house, and the pack itself is hard, but I know that nothing would be gained by staying. I would never have bowed down to Joliee. She would have expected it and made my life miserable.
It now shows why I wasn’t treated as well as my so-called sister, who it turns out isn’t my sister at all, but a spoiled brat who, sadly, is going to be the Luna of the pack. I pity the pack I really do.
‘We will be together. We will always have each other, here and beyond.’
“Yes, we will, Blue, and I love you more than any other. We will survive together.”
Reaching the gates of the pack lands, the two warriors on guard watch as I near. Grant, who I’ve known since we were small children, walks over and places his arms around my shoulders, drawing me to his chest.
His voice rumbles as he kisses the top of my head. “Adira, I felt you leave the pack. What is going on?”
“It appears I am not and never have been wanted here. I was nothing more than a baby, but I was a paying job for the people that called themselves my parents. A job, Grant. They had a monthly income to look after me. But my mate took Joliee as his chosen while I was away at Luna camp, and I only found out because I came back today while the ceremony was happening.”
“We were told that you were the chosen mate, and that Travis had found his true mate. The pack did not know Adira. We all celebrated that he had found the one that made him whole, so when he became Alpha he would be strong.” Grant is scowling but holding me to him.
I glance at the other warrior who I’ve had no interaction with previously, and he is not looking happy at the information he’s hearing either. Looking me in the eye, he speaks, taking me by surprise with what he says. “If you ever need anything, contact either Grant or myself.” Taking out a card from his back pocket, he writes Grant’s phone number next to his own. “I’m Warden and I can’t stand that prick, Travis, and even more despise Joliee. She has always been a spoiled brat and all the pack can see that. She will be the worst Luna we could have had, and that’s why I didn’t want to be at the ceremony and volunteered to be on gate duty.”
“Thank you for caring.” I take the card and give Grant a last hug, and turn to Warden, giving him one as well.
I take hold of my suitcase handle, but before I can continue on my way, I notice Alpha Benedict rushing towards us. Now, I need to get the hell out of here before he reaches us.
“I’ve gotta go. Thank you.” I rush out of the packlands, and now the Alpha has no control or authority. He didn’t once I rejected the pack, but for some reason he now wants me to stay.
“Come back, Adira. I will welcome you home to the pack. You don’t need to leave and become a rogue,” Alpha Benedict says, and I see Beta Paul and Gamma Ray rushing up behind him.
“I will never come back to this pack. You have all shown me what sort of people you are. I understand now why I was treated differently, not only by my family, but by many of the pack members.” Turning, I pull the suitcase and feeling it wobble, I know I’m going to lose a wheel from it before I get to town, which is six miles from here.
‘We will carry it, Adira, if we need to. We are strong, fit, and resourceful. We excelled at Luna camp, leaving camp as the top Luna candidate. We can do this.’
“Yes, we can, Blue.”
I don’t give the pack a backward look. I face forward and start the long walk to town. I can make plans as I walk. We will need an idea of where to go and what to do.
Later, thanks to having to stop every now and again to put the suitcase down because once that wheel came off, it wasn’t a matter of pulling it along anymore.
I’d sat on the side of the road, opening the suitcase and taking out anything I didn’t need to survive. Keeping only enough clothing to last a few days, an extra pair of shoes and toiletries.
My purse thankfully has a shoulder strap. I slipped that over my head, put an arm through and felt secure knowing it wasn’t going to get dropped and left by accident.
Once the case was lighter to carry I had made much better time walking to town. Three hours it’s taken because of my having to keep stopping, but I’m walking into the bus depot and study the destinations, finding where I’m going to go.
‘What about that place where the Elder Council allows good rogues to live? You could get a job and we’ll use the library to find out about our real pack, and the one that destroyed it.’
“Huntsville? Yes, we could go there and regroup. Find out about our history, and forget about what we are leaving behind.”
Buying a ticket, I get onto the bus and take a seat halfway down. I place my broken case on the seat next to me, because no way am I allowing it out of my sight. It’s all I have in the world.
Luckily, I’ve saved from the small allowance I was given, and the job waitressing at the pack diner. Bella won’t be happy that I’ve basically been run out of the pack, and she’ll not remain quiet about it. I just hope she won’t get herself into trouble with Alpha Benedict.
It’s going to be a long ride to Huntsville, but we will have two stops for a stretch of the legs, restroom, and food. While we are traveling I take out my phone and ignore the six text messages I’ve received, three from Travis, one from Papa and two from Joliee.
I log into my bank and see I have $14,039.21 and it’s going to have to last me a long time.
