The Perfect Rejection

Chapter Seventeen

I heard the door unlock and I leapt to my feet. My brother walked in, a small box in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" I growled, sitting back on the couch.

He held out the box, his gaze shifting between me and the floor. I clenched my jaw and hesitated. "A peace offering," he muttered.

I took a deep breath before taking it from him. I opened it up and my eyes widen in shock. "Where did you get this?"

"A couple of years ago I went back. I found it at the bottom of one of the water tanks," he said, trailing off slightly.

I closed my eyes tightly for a few moments to stop the flood of painful memories. I opened them again and looked down at the necklace. My fingers ran over the carved wolf, not quite believing it was real.

"I wish I could take back everything bad I've ever done to you," he whispered.

"Liam I will never forget what you did to me," I growled.

"I suppose that's fair. Your mate will kill me if I don't get back to work so, bye I guess," he murmured before leaving the room.

I listened to the door close, and then lock. I fiddled with the pendant, trying to comprehend how he could possibly think that I'd be willing to forgive him after all the years of torture he put me through.

***

My eyes snapped open when I felt something stir beside me. I looked over to see Derek sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"Why did you come back so late?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Your former Alpha is causing some serious problems."

"Xavier? What did he do?" I sat up and watched as he walked into the bathroom.

"That's nothing you should be concerned about," he replied shortly.

I stalked into the bathroom, growling under my breath. "What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

He chuckled, turning on the shower. "It means I'm the Alpha," he smirked.

I pursed my lips in annoyance and heard my wolf snarl angrily. "I'm an Alpha too you know," I growled in my wolf's voice. I watched Derek's eyes swirl black with lust and he grabbed my hips, pinning my body to his.

My chest tightened and I felt my breathing grow ragged. His lips met mine in a passionate kiss. My hands ran over his bare chest and I gasped at the feeling of his under my shirt.

He broke the kiss for only a moment to pull my tank top over my head. A growl rumbled deep in his chest and I moaned as his hands gripped my butt.

He lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. I deepened the kiss, smirking at Derek's groan.

His claws tore my shorts and underwear completely off. I moaned as his hands moved over my bare skin. Tingling heat spread over every part of my body.

Derek walked us into the shower and I closed my eyes when I felt water thrumming against my back. I pulled away and Derek started kissing my neck.

I sighed in pleasure. The water ran down my face and I gasped as my back was pressed against the cold tile. Derek grabbed my wrists, pinning them above my head.

I opened my eyes and it was completely dark aside from the light above my head. My lungs spasmed as I breathed in the water.

My legs thrashed and kicked against the glass, my wrists were shooting with pain as I yanked against the chains. Black spots started to fill my vision as my lungs burned.

It was only a few more seconds before my body went slack and my eyes closed.

***

I woke up with a groan of pain. The back of my head was throbbing and I could feel a bandage wrapped around it.

"Roxanne, how are you feeling?" I heard a voice ask. I looked to my side and stared in shock at the wolf that was guarding me before.

"I'm okay, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"What do you mean? I've been here everyday since you got here."

"Well not in here. You just stand across the hall in case I somehow manage to get the guy just outside the door to let me leave."

He chuckled a little. "Well Alpha Thayne wanted me to keep an eye on you since you had a panic attack earlier and banged your head against the wall," he explained.

"Panic attack?" I muttered. It took me a moment before I remembered what happened. I sat up, burying my face in my hands. "Oh god, that wasn't a panic attack. I have a stupid condition," I told him.

He gave me a confused look. "What condition?"

"I don't remember the name but some people get it after a traumatic experience. You get these flashbacks that feel so real that you think you're back in your traumatic experience," I explained with a heavy sigh.

"I'm guessing your traumatic experience was when you got kidnapped right?" he asked, getting up to pull open the curtains.

"I can't believe you recognized me," I murmured, sliding out of the bed.

He turned around and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I can't believe you still haven't recognized me," he told me.

I peered at him through narrowed eyes. His blonde hair and green eyes did seem really familiar, but I couldn't place him. "I don't know," I admitted.

He walked up to me with a small smile. "Here, let me help you remember. Cover your eyes," he said.

"Okay," I mumbled, reluctantly doing as he said.

I suddenly felt arms around my waist and let out a yelp as I was lifted into the air. I could feel everything spinning and I removed my hands from my eyes in panic.

The forest revolved around me, bright green and completely empty. I let out a squeal as he finally set me down on my feet.

"Roxie I do that every day and it still scares you," he sighed.

I turned around and rolled my eyes. "It doesn't scare me, it just startles me," I muttered obnoxiously.

He laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me down onto the grass beside him.

I lied down with my head on his shoulder and we stared up at the sky. I chewed on my lip in thought. "You'll always be my best friend right?" I asked quietly.

He turned to me with confusion on his face. "Of course Roxie. No matter what, I will always be your best friend, and you'll always be mine."

I shook my head to bring me back to reality and looked at him with a massive grin. "Ryland, where the hell have you been?" I breathed, throwing my arms around his neck.

He sighed a little. "After I found you and your brother and he exposed everything that happened, Alpha Thaddeus ordered me to stay away from you."

"What? I thought you just hated me like everyone else did," I whispered.

He shakes his head in disbelief. "I could never hate you Roxie, and don't forget that I saw what they were doing to you. I'm the one who found you and saw the conditions you and your brother were living in for months.

"Alpha Thaddeus didn't want us to tell anyone what happened so he sent me and more than a dozen other wolves to do warrior training at the White Lake pack," he told me.

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?" I asked.

He nodded, running his hand through his hair. "We weren't allowed to come back until the day that you disappeared. Alpha Thaddeus told everyone that you were dead."

"I hate him and his son so much," I growled under my breath.

"I know and I wish I could help but his son is still my alpha, I can't disobey him. But at least now you have someone to talk to other than your brother, right?" he asked.

I gave him a small half smile. "Right."