Chapter 1
OVER
Standing in the middle of the crowd that had since formed around her, Ralphine could tell that this wasn’t going to be anytime soon. She had been in these situations more than once. She was always the outcast, the girl bullied for fun, the girl
rampled upon when people had nothing better to do.
Ralphine had always been the girl called names, and the girl who went through the worst of citations and yet even in those states. Her reaction had remained the
Silence and acceptance.
e same.
“Are you just going to let her do that to you?” one of the voices in the crowd asked, and the cheers increased. It wasn’t what the young wolf had expected, but it wasn’t like she had a reason to fight them anyway.
She had always chosen to be peaceful, but it was time for her to change.
Say something!” Drescher, the pack beta said to Ralphine.
- Ralphine Belyaeva, accept your rejection. Beta Drescher,” Ralphine said again, her voice so devoid of emotions, even though she was feeling the opposite. She had always dreamt of having a mate. She had always wished to be happy like most of the girls in the Koslov pack.
Born in a low–ranking family, Ralphine had learned to keep her head low. She never did anything that wasn’t expected of her. Even when people tossed her around like a rag doll, she never retaliated. It is like she accepted her fate.
Eventually, they never learned to stop and well she was their constant target. Her parents were workers in the quarry, something that many despised, even though most of the pack revenue came from the minerals they mined. However, no one cared
“Is that it?” Beta Drescher asked as he looked at the mate he had just rejected.
When he found out he was mated to the pack outcast, he was conflicted. He had always sworn to treat his mate with respect and love her or him. He had always wanted to be a good person, and he never once participated in the bullying in the pack. If anything. he respected everyone.
However, when beta Drescher learned that he was mated to the girl whose parents didn’t have a rank in the pack, he wasn’t sure how he was to go about this. On one hand, he wanted to embrace her and accept the bond. He wanted to admit that it was fine, no matter who she was, however, it would affect his reputation in the pack, especially given he was of a high position.
He had known they were mates, a week before today, and yet had kept his distance. However, when she realized they were mates today, the first thing that came out of his mouth wasn’t even a hello. Instead, it was the manning sentence that no mate
ever wanted to do..
“1. Drescher Volkov, reject you. Ralphine Belyaeva as my fated mate,” he had said, and his heart hurt so bad he was trying to hold on, and was failing, even to this point.
“Oooh, someone’s feisty. How about we give her a good welcome to the rejected mates lot?” one of the wolves said and they all let out laughs.
The Koslov packs didn’t mind if someone was rejected. It was never a big deal because eventually, the wolves would get other mates. But in Beta Drescher’s case, it was different
Drescher was always a heartthrob, the man every girl wanted to be with, and the man boys wanted to grow into. Sure, they were just eighteen at the moment, but that didn’t matter because they were on the same level.
Hearing his mate accept his rejection, and that too with a cold unbothered expression like she had expected this was not on Drescher’s list. He had expected that she would be bawling her eyes out, begging him to be with her, ready to do whatever it took to be with him.
Then again, Ralphine was different and they were slowly learning that.
“The Beta was rejected!! The chants began and Drescher let out warning growls. They were teasing him, even though they were aware he had rejected her first. They were forcing him to do something to assert his dominance, and boy was it a dirty game.
1.2
Chup
“Can I please leave now, Beta Drescher?” Ralphine asked in her voice full of respect for the man who had just broken her heart. She could feel her heart shattering to pieces, and she felt like she was about to lose her mind.
Her wolf was whimpering in pain from the rejection and if she wasn’t careful, Ralphine would lose her balance and fall
nconscious. All her dreams of ever finding someone to love her were shattered and maybe she was fragile for wishing for a mate, but wasn’t that every young wolf’s dream when they turned eighteen anyway
“Oooh, she has a better place to be. Damn Drescher, you really got smoked by the lowly one today,” Rykar, the pack alpha and Drescher’s best friend said, making the Beta let out another growl. It wasn’t because he was being challenged by his best friend, but because he hated that he couldn’t take back his rejection and the girl who stood before him was already accepting her fate.
He wanted to tell her that he was wrong and that he was willing to continue with their bond, but then it was a gone chance. The moment Ralphine had accepted the rejection, their ties had forever been severed, and the fates were probably already lining up their second chance mates, if ever that was possible for them at the moment anyway.
No. You can’t leave. I don’t like the tone you used on me. I am your beta, and you disrespected me in front of everyone, and for that you will be punished.” Drescher said to Ralphine, his heart aching at his word, but then he had a reputation to protect and if teaching the lowly girl a lesson was his way of retaining it, then he would do it.
He would apologize to the goddess later. This wasn’t how he had planned it too, but what else could he do other than hope that he was forgiven for whatever he was about to do to the poor undeserving girl anyway!
“What?” Ralphine asked the shock in her voice so raw, making her emotions knobs for the first time. Her voice was shaky as she knew the type of punishment that was waiting for her, now that they had declared she was the one who had disrespected their beta. It wasn’t the kindest of them all and she had been marked. Just fantastic right?
I said, you can’t leave, Ralphine. Are you deaf?” Beta Drescher said, and Ralphine sighed as she looked at the handsome heartthrob who had cast her aside without a moment of thought. He looked so comfortable with the masses and Ralphine didn’t want to interfere with that.
She knew if she tried to defend herself, they would make her family pay for it, and frankly, the work at the mines was already hard enough on her parents. So, she didn’t want to add to their misfortunes. Such were the times that Ralphine was glad her parents wouldn’t be able to witness her being thrown around. She would be fine, she always was, right?
I’m sorry, Beta. I accept the punishment,” Ralphine said, and gasses erupted in the crowd. Some of them were confident while others loved that she was doing everything they wanted like some machine. She hadn’t once defended herself and that was wild. They knew it was strange, but it seemed like society had already trained the Belyaeva girl into submission.
“You don’t even know what the punishment is, you must be crazy,” the alpha Rykar said and Ralphine bowed her head. She was tired. She wanted to get everything over and done with but she had a feeling that if she responded to the alpha, she would be punished even more. She didn’t have the strength to deal with that, really.
“A hundred lashes for her should be enough. If she touched her wounds while being disciplined, feel free to add roe to her.” Beta Drescher said and the crowd cheered on, while the warriors who were with them walked through the circle and grabbed Palphine, lying they didn’t beat her escaping the cruel fate.
I accept the punishment, Beta Drescher, Ralphine said, with her head still bowed.
