Josie POV

“You look hot! Let me take another picture.”

“One more we have to go!” I said before posing for another picture.

The ball had already started, and my parents were already there. I couldn’t afford to be late because I wanted to make a good impression. I was on active duty tonight, a beta bodyguard could never relax.

I wanted to make a good impression because I was barely six weeks on the job. Despite being the youngest beta bodyguard for the Alpha ’s family, there had been a few mishaps.

Danger was everywhere tonight, and I could feel it.

With so many important people in attendance, there had to be someone lurking in the shadows looking for an opportunity.

“This is just like we planned when we graduated from high school! You become a bodyguard like everyone else in your family, and I get a loan from Daddy to start my restaurant!” My best friend beamed.

“And if things go any better, my wedding will be in six months.”

She frowned. “Let’s go before you get any crazier ideas. Six months is not nearly enough time to plan a wedding.”

I laughed. Tonight had to be perfect.

“Let’s go. We might be late.”

“We’re right on time, Josie.”

“Yeah, but I have to speak to Ryan first. He has to tell me where I’m positioned tonight.”

“Alright, I’ll get started on the drinks!” Oakley squealed.

She squeezed me and we left my house. While she went ahead to the ball, I went to the Pack House, where my boyfriend and brother Shane were.

“There you are,” Ryan said.

He took a minute to take me in. A soft blush spread on my cheeks. Ryan’s eyes lingered on my waist before what little lust lingered in his eyes vanished, and the solid soldier stare returned.

Ryan had been a bodyguard for five years. He was responsible and came from a well-respected family. Ryan’s Dad was Alpha Rufus’ Alpha General. Ryan was trusted with handling the Alpha family’s protection, but we all knew being a bodyguard was just a stepping stone to higher positions in the Pack. Everyone expected Ryan and my brother Shane to be a part of the next Alpha’s regime.

“I’m not late,” I said, with a small smile.

“Yeah, but we’re done anyway. I want you on the floor tonight. You don’t have to do much, Josie. If you see anything suspicious, just tell me.”

“Do we still get to dance?” I batted my lashes at him. “Come on, it’s the perfect cover to snoop.”

He thought about it for a second. “Yeah, you’re right.”

I knew Ryan too well. We’d been together for seven years. There wasn’t much he liked to do outside of working. He was constantly scanning for danger and potential loopholes.

“Great! Let’s go.”

I took his hand before he uttered anything else, and we walked arm in arm to the ball. The atmosphere was amazing. People were chatting and laughing. The drinks were flooding. My parents were happy. Ugh, my heart swelled with gratitude for the moment.

My boyfriend’s arm tensed in mine.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“I forgot I need to report to the Alpha.”

My eyes shot across the room to where Alpha Rufus threw his head back and laughed heartily. It didn’t look like he wanted to talk shop while he was with the young and beautiful women in his circle.

“I’ll be right back.”

I nodded. Before I could think about how in love he was with his job, Oakley found me.

“Got you a drink. Non-alcoholic since you’re working.”

“Thanks, Oak,” I mumbled.

I watched Ryan walk passed Alpha Rufus and walk through the shiny red curtains. Why’d he lie? If he wanted to double-check the security, he could have told me. I shook the thoughts out of my head.

“Something wrong, Josie?” Oakley asked, concerned.

“N-nothing. Let’s dance. Everyone’s having a great time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Oakley beamed!

We moved to the dance floor. No one really bothered to follow the rhythm, but no one cared. We were just trying to have a good time. I noticed all the famous Alpha heirs in attendance. Our allied Alphas joined us. My Father spoke to General Braxton of our neighbour pack and our greatest ally. He was getting older in the years, but still clung to his title.

I noticed my brother Shane standing by the door. He looked bored out of his mind. I doubted anyone would try to attack us tonight. The security was massive, and with all the Alphas together, they were harder to take down.

That was until my Father walked off, probably to find my Mother. General Braxton walked to the wine table and picked up a glass. I stopped dancing and watched him. He gingerly walked to the food table with his white wine. Everything seemed innocent until I saw an unfamiliar face approach him.

It should have been a meaningless encounter when the unfamiliar person walked passed him, but I noticed the bubbles appear in the white wine. That shouldn’t happen unless it was spiked with something.

“Josie?” Oakley asked, alarmed.

Ryan told me to alert him if I saw something suspicious, but there was no time. General Braxton was about to drink from the glass. So many people walked in front of him, he didn’t notice me shaking my head and waving my hands.

Of course, someone wouldn’t plan an outright attack! They had to be strategic about it. I abandoned my best friend and charged towards the old general.

“General Braxton! Put that down,” I yelled.

People gasped and stared at me as I raced towards the old man. He didn’t listen. I shoved people out of the way. I slapped the glass out of his hand. The expression of shock on his face was horrifying. The Glass shattered, and I tripped, accidentally tackling the man to the ground and landing on top of him.

“What the hell is going on?” He coughed.

“General Braxton, I’m sorry I—”

“Joise, what are you doing?” My Father rushed to me and held out his hand. He inspected me first before he questioned me again. “What have you done?”

Ryan and Shane hurried to help Braxton to his feet.

“Crazy girl,” Braxton grumbled, dusting himself off.

“Someone spiked your drink.”

“You think I’m so senile that I wouldn’t notice someone slip something into my drink?” he barked.

“Of course not. It happened so fast, but I know what I saw.”

“That’s a serious accusation, Josie. Why didn’t you tell me?” Ryan scolded me.

“There was no time.”

The music stopped, and everyone was looking at me and the scene I caused. Where’s the man who spiked the drink? I knew he wasn’t invited. He would prove I didn’t screw up.

“Honey, you’re bleeding,” Dad said.

He raised my arm, and I saw the long superficial cut.

“These are serious accusations, and we will look into them, General Braxton. Right now, I’m going to take my daughter home.”

Dad walked me out of the ballroom. It was a walk of shame. I knew what I saw, and if I hadn’t done what I did. General Braxton might be dead.

Josie POV

“We knew there were going to be attacks, Duncan. Josie’s story isn’t farfetched,” My mother, Estelle, said.

“I know it isn’t. My daughter doesn’t come up with wild stories!” He raved, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

My parents, Estelle and Duncan Hart, were third in command. It was a prestigious title, and they held massive influence. Especially now, when the beta, who was second in command, lost his wife. He was vulnerable and was considering early retirement.

I kept replaying that moment in my mind. What if I hadn’t tackled the seventy-year-old Alpha General in front of dozens of important people? He could have dropped dead in the middle of the room.

General Braxton’s razor-sharp voice kept slicing my eardrums.

“What happens now?” I asked, my voice cracked.

My parents looked at me, unable to respond. We were sitting outside our home, in the backyard, trying to make sense of the night. This was not how I wanted tonight to go.

“What were you thinking, Josie?”

Shane burst out of the house with Ryan in tow. I ran a hand down my face. I didn’t have time for my older brother right now. In his eyes, I couldn’t do anything right. Sure, I made a mistake tonight by acting irrationally, but Braxton could be dead!

“I was doing my job,” I replied. I avoided his eyes.

“Is your job screwing everything up? You’re fucking good at it!” He roared.

“I know what I saw! Someone spiked his wine. General Braxton is from one of the biggest and most advanced packs in the country, so it makes sense that someone would want him dead!”

“Have you found the person Josie saw?” Dad asked.

“No, but we’re looking just to make sure she actually saw something. We’re wasting resources because of you!”

While Shane ranted, Ryan just stood there watching me. Did he think I was a nut, too?

“Fine, when you find him, bring him to me,” Dad ordered.

“What about Easton?” Ryan asked. “Shouldn’t he be doing the integration?”

Easton was the second in command. Easton naturally had more responsibility than my Dad.

“Easton didn’t even show up tonight. He’s not doing well.”

When a wolf lost its mate, it suffered unimaginable pain. Only truly strong wolves came out of it with their mind still intact. I looked at Ryan. He couldn’t look at me. We’ve been chosen mates for years. He was my first for so many things. My body was so cold it needed his touch to ease the anxiety ravaging me.

“You’re right,” Ryan said. “Alpha Rufus is on his way to talk about the incident.”

My parents shared another look. They casually walked back into the house as they spoke in hushed tones. Shane shook his head and marched through the back patio doors.

I blew out an exhausted breath.

“You’ve done it now, Josie,” Ryan said, his voice low yet venomous.

“Do you really think I would have done that without a reason?” I looked into his eyes for a split second until he turned away.

“Nothing happened! There was no intruder. You didn’t just embarrass Alpha Rufus, you embarrassed me too.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

He clenched his jaw and snatched my arm. He dragged me off the beach chair and dragged me into the dark backyard.

“I made sure everyone who set foot in that party was verified. Do you want to make me look like I can’t do my job?”

“What? No, babe—”

He shut his eyes, threw his head back and exhaled. “I don’t know what to do with you?”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady until my racing heart. “Just hold me,” I replied.

“No, Josie. I can’t. It’s too much now.”

“What’s too much? If I made a mistake, then fine, but I didn’t want to take a chance on another man’s life.”

“It’s not just that. We’ve been together for seven years, and you’ve only gone into heat once.”

“You know I can’t,” I hissed.

“You said you were working on it.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need to go into heat. I already have you, why do I need to attract other wolves?” I frowned.

“It’s not about attracting other wolves. You’ve never produced pheromones. That’s a sign of a healthy she-wolf who’s capable of producing strong pups.”

“I’m a beta female. Of course, I’ll produce strong pups. You’ve never brought up having children before. What’s this about?” I argued.

I tried to touch him, but he stepped back.

I always knew I’d never be able to produce pheromones or go into heat. A she-wolf usually goes into heat when she’s most fertile. It’s just a way for her to know it’s the right time to have a baby. It’s an effective method. It was a defect no one could explain to me, yet I was lucky enough to be born a beta. It would be challenging to find my fated mate or lure a mate just by scent, which was why I loved Ryan so much. He loved me for me.

“I checked your medical records, Josie. There’s a fifty per cent chance you can’t have children. That’s not what I want in a mate.”

I scoffed. “It doesn’t mean I can’t—”

“Stop. Just stop.” He raked a hand through his hair. “What happened tonight confirms what I have to do.”

“Ryan, what are you—”

“I, Ryan Foster, reject you, Josie Hart, as my chosen mate.”

The sound of broken glass filled my head. My wolf threw her head back and howled. I clutched my abdomen and buckled forward. I can’t believe he did that.

“Accept the rejection, and the pain ends,” he said coldly.

“I thought you loved me for who I was,” I rasped.

“It’s not enough. Accept the rejection.”

No, it wasn’t supposed to end like this. He was my happily ever after. We were supposed to get married in six months. The pain crept from my abdomen towards my heart. Rejection was deadly. Some even saw it as a sin. I looked into his eyes pleadingly, but there was nothing I could do.

“I, Josie Hart, accept your rejection, Ryan… Foster.”

The chain that created our bond disintegrated into dust.

“Good,” Ryan said.

I dropped to the grass and was consumed by an eerie darkness.

Josie POV

I woke up in my bed. I felt disgusting and sick. When I opened my eyes and I was in my bedroom, I thought it had all been a dream and the ball hadn’t happened yet. I wasn’t so lucky, though. Ryan’s cold, emotionless blue eyes kept popping back into my head. The moment he rejected me replayed on an agonising loop.

“Lily?” I called my wolf.

I couldn’t stay in this room where we’d stay up all night watching movies and making out. He liked to sit on the window bench and stare out at the woods in the distance.

“Lily, I need to go for a run,” I begged.

Some of my clothes still smelled like him.

“Lily.” My voice cracked, and salty tears slipped between my lips.

My sweat dragged my clothes to my skin. My hair was stringy and wet. It was like sweating out a disease. Rejection was the parasite my body struggled to kill. Lily didn’t respond. She vanished into a corner of my mind so far back I didn’t know it existed. She left me hollow like a shell abandoned by its host on a beach.

Was this what the first death felt like? This was why rejection was so brutal. It became a taboo that no one spoke about. It was a killer, and it wasn’t my soul.

A sharp knock came at the door. My Mother marched in.

“Good, you’re awake. The Alpha wants you. Now.”

I met her pale blue eyes. There was worry in them.

It doesn’t matter what she was afraid of. Nothing could hurt more than the slash inside me. I crawled out of my bed. I dragged myself behind Mom to the living room. I expected Ryan to be there so he could hear my judgment.

However, the only ones present were my brother Shane, Dad, Alpha Rufus and Luna Nora. The Luna offered me a look of sympathy. All I wanted was to get things over with.

“You made a mockery of us, Josie,” the Alpha said.

“Yes, Alpha.” It was the only correct answer.

“Everyone’s talking about the show you made. There wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove your claims were founded. General Braxton is furious. I have no choice but to suspend you from the team, Josie. Take this time to work on yourself and think about the next you want to be rash.”

I shut my eyes to stop the tears from falling. I expected this.

“At least she’s not off the team completely. I felt very safe with Josie,” Luna Nora said.

Well, that made me feel better. I wasn’t a total loss.

“The suspension would normally last three weeks and some paperwork duties, but another issue has been brought to my attention,” Alpha Rufus said. “You’ve been rejected tonight.”

My Mother gasped and grabbed my Father’s arm. Shane remained stone-faced. Of course, he didn’t care. Ever since Chase left, he’s been on a mission to prove himself as the golden child of the family. He took every opportunity to make me look like an ass in front of my Father.

He didn’t need to do anything tonight.

“No one’s been rejected in the Pack for over a hundred years,” Luna Nora commented.

Alpha Rufus nodded. “The Pack has laws on this, and they must be upheld. Every rejected wolf must be shunned for four months.”

I gasped, and every bone in my body rattled. “I’ve never heard of that law before!”

“It’s to protect the pack from any impurities rejection might bring. We’ve managed to keep ourselves clean from curses and droughts this way. We can’t take any chances,” Alpha Rufus said.

My heart thundered at a thousand miles per hour. My vision blurred for a moment. If I weren’t sitting down, I would have fainted.

“No, you can’t do this to me. I didn’t ask to be rejected,” I begged.

“It’s been done. You need to be gone before the full moon tomorrow. Duncan, please walk out with me.”

I turned to my Daddy for help, but he was blank. “Yes, Alpha,” he responded.

Dad walked out the Alpha and Luna.

“You’ve done it now, Josie,” Shane snapped.

“Enough, Shane! Just leave. Do something else,” Mom yelled.

Shane chuckled. “I didn’t think this family could have a disappointment bigger than Chase. You’ve redeemed him, little sis.”

Shane marched off.

I’d just been banished. Where would I go? I couldn’t stay in the Pack. I couldn’t run to Oakley’s house. She would have to shun me, too. Mom took my hands and squeezed.

“You have to pack your things now, Josie.”

“You’re kicking me out? Isn’t there anything you can do?”

She shook her head. “You need to leave. It’s going to be horrible when word breaks in the morning. I know you’ll be shunned, but there are people who will want to hurt you.”

It wasn’t fair. What about Ryan? How could someone who claimed to love me reject me, knowing what would happen to me? I got up swiftly and ran to my room. I darted to the closet and grabbed a suitcase.

I stuffed my belongings in the bag, tears streaming down my face. I had no idea where to go. My entire family lived in this Pack. Except for Chase. I paused. My eldest brother woke up one day and decided to leave the family. He destroyed all our parents’ hopes and dreams for him. I hadn’t seen him in four years. He declared himself a rogue and refused to return.

I grabbed my phone and found ten missed calls from Oakley. I would send her a text later explaining everything.

“Hello?” Chase’s raspy voice came through the speaker.

“Chase… I don’t know what to do.”

“Shit kid, it’s nearly three in the morning. What the hell happened, Josie?” His voice went from sleepy to wide awake in an instant.

I poured out the last events few hours into the phone. Chase stopped asking questions a few seconds ago. When I finally finished ranting, I had a headache.

“Don’t worry, kid. You’ll be fine. You need to get out of there now. You have to accept your fate.”

“I’ve lost everything, Chase. My job, my home and my family!”

“We’ll figure it out.”

I gathered the rest of my things into my suitcase. I had a few thousand dollars saved up, but it wouldn’t last me four months. I found my gun in the bedside drawer. I had to turn that in. I chucked it into my bag anyway. Let Ryan freak out about a missing gun like the perfectionist he is.

I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to my car. My parents were in the driveway.

“You’re packed. Good, you should be on your way,” Dad said.

There was so much I wanted to scream at him. This wasn’t my fault. I didn’t ask to be rejected. I allowed him to walk off.

“Estelle!” Dad called.

Mom started walking away. I exhaled. Here goes nothing.

Arms wrapped around me from behind before I got into my car.

“Take care of yourself,” Mom whispered. “Take this. It’s just a little to get by. I’ll find a way to send you more.”

“Estelle!” Dad barked again.

“I have to go, sweetheart.”

I just lost my entire life in one night.