The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 32

Sophie

POV

It was so dark that time felt indefinite, with no way of knowing just how much had passed. It felt like I was floating, from a vast distance, downwards in slow, motion. To be honest it was quite nauseating. Then just as suddenly, I felt like I was slowing down, a great big patch of grass rising to meet me. With a big sigh of relief, I felt my bare feet touch the ground, no longer feeling the falling sensation, the butterflies in my stomach easing slowly. I blink, looking around in astonishment. Where on earth was I?

It felt like I was in the forest somewhere, but it wasn't familiar to me and definitely wasn't a part of my home or pack. The grass was soft and lush beneath my bare feet and deciding, I had nothing better to do, I start to walk, around the trees, over fallen branches, and through the littered leaves and debris on the forest floor, which to my surprise, does not injure my feet at all.

I walked for what seemed like miles and miles, clad in nothing but a plain white silk nightgown, my hair flying around in the cool breeze. The sun never seems to fade nor burn, nor does it set while I walk. Eventually, I hear the sound of running water in the distance and I pick up my pace, my nightgown flowing around me, until a luscious and beautiful waterfall is right in front of me, pooling down into a large lake. I bend down, suddenly finding myself thirsty, and scoop water up into the palms of my hands. It's cool and refreshing, satiating my thirst.

The water is a clear, pure crystal blue, and looks so inviting that I hesitate. I wonder what it's like to dive into the water and swim in it.

"You could if you really wanted to" a musical voice muses, coming from behind me.

Startled, I whirl around, confronting the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my whole life. She has long silver hair that cascades down in waves all the way to the bottom of her feet. It gleams in the sunlight. She has pale porcelain skin that looks almost ethereal and her eyes are a stunning sparkling blue color. She wears a Grecian style white dress that gathers on one shoulder and then tightens around the bodice before flowing down to her ankles. It's almost transparent and shows off her lovely curves. The woman is tall, easily towering over me and I'm not short either.

"I'm sorry" I stammer "I didn't realize anyone was out here" I admit, glancing back at the waterfall.

The woman merely raises an eyebrow and then sits on the ground, while I worry about her dirtying her dress. She doesn't seem to be phased though, gesturing for me to sit down beside her.

"My name is Serena" she trills, with a low laugh "but you may know me better as the moon goddess, Sophie"

My mouth falls open. This has to be some sort of dream because the moon goddess was merely fiction, wasn't she? A tale told around the campfire at night to scare children into behaving? A legend told of how we came to be. I had never dreamed that she was real. I glance around suddenly feeling nervous in her presence. Had I died and gone to wherever shifters went when they passed?

"Sit down Sophie," she says evenly and without thinking about it, my body slowly bends down and sits cross-legged on the dirt floor.

"You're not dead" she continues as my mouth gapes open even wider. Had she read my mind? "But you could be, that was a very foolish thing to do, throwing yourself down the stairs like that" she chides, much like a parent scolds their child.

I feel myself flushing. I had been desperate when I did that, not seeing any way out of my lies. This had come to me in a spurt of inspiration.

"Because of what you did," the moon goddess said, with a look of disgust on her face "your father blamed your sister for it, thinking she pushed you down the stairs. She has been physically punished as a result."

I felt sick to my stomach. I hadn't even considered that might happen. After all, Tony and Darius had both been present when I fell, surely one of them could have told my father the truth of what had happened. Why had Amber been punished when she had nothing to do with it?

The moon goddess gives a heavy sigh. The water continues to trickle down from the waterfall, causing me to lean forward to hear her words more easily. "You have been a very stupid girl Sophie. Darius is going to find out about your lies sooner or later." "I know" I burst out, waving my hands in agitation "I was going to tell him I lost the baby, I was desperate and trapped" I cried out "I didn't know how else to get out of it."

"What about telling the truth?" asks the moon goddess easily "and admitting your mistake. It would have been far more gracious and" she chuckles, shaking her head "far less dangerous than throwing yourself down the stairs. You could have died" she points out. I slump and stare down at the floor, biting my lip and feeling ashamed of myself and my actions of late. "I love Darius so much that it hurts inside to see him with anyone else" I whisper "and Amber didn't realize it. When I had the chance to have him I took it and I didn't care that it hurt her. I've been lying ever since and I hate it, really hate it. But I hate the idea that Darius won't marry me even more if I'm not pregnant."

Serena shakes her head. "He has no choice but to marry you regardless if you are pregnant or not. His parents and your parents are too old-fashioned not to push for it. But my dear, can you marry him, knowing that he might never love you back in return?" That hurt. It stung more than I cared to admit. The thought of being in a loveless marriage terrified me, but then so did the idea of losing Darius completely. We might not be mates, but I had loved him my entire childhood and cared for him when it seemed like no one else did. I had thought, that maybe, in time, he might grow to care for me a little or maybe fall in love. After all, it happened with arranged marriages all the time.

Serena got to her feet gracefully and then reached down, helping me to get to my own feet. She drags me to the edge of the lake and gestures to it. "Look," she says calmly.

The water bubbles for a moment and then I see an image of Darius and myself arguing, both of us physically shoving each other and shouting. I look terrible, thin, with dark circles under my eyes. I'm pale as a sheet and Darius looks almost wild as he yells at me for who knows what.

"This is one way your path might take you," Serena says wisely.

The water goes dark for a moment and then another scene appears in it. I look closer, fascinated. I'm almost glowing in the picture, with Darius's arms protectively over my shoulders, his head leaning on mine. We are staring at a Christmas tree and smiling together. I see him mouth the words 'I love you and tears come to my eyes. This was the future I so badly wanted and needed.

"This is the last path," Serena says mysteriously, waving her hand over the water once more. It bubbles fiercely and then settles down. I lean closer and peer down intently. But the water is dark and there's just an image of me, being laid in the ground, a gravestone above me, my parents crying while Amber looks down, a stoic expression on her face.

The water goes back to its normal clear blue color. "Yes, death is in your future and close," Serena tells me, turning to me and grabbing hold of my shaking hands. "If you do not change your ways you will die child. Sooner rather than later. But before that, you'll be miserable and trapped in the same sort of marriage that your parents have. It's time you changed Sophie and forged the future you deserve."

I shudder. "What do I need to do? How do I change things?" I ask thickly.

"You need to tell the truth about what happened. Admit to Darius everything, including your feelings and you might just find that he has a lot to think about. Don't let your parents control you and establish a proper relationship with your sister. She's very important to you and your parents in the future" Serena says quietly "and you need her, even if you can't admit that to yourself."

"She has no wolf," I say blankly, the only words I can seem to utter "my parents will never accept her."

"Wrong" corrects Serena "you all just think she has no wolf, but tell me, why did it take Darius longer to receive his wolf than it did you?"

"Because everyone knows that Alpha's get their wolves at age eighteen instead of sixteen, due to the strength and power of their wolf" I recite from memory.

"Then maybe there's a reason why Amber's wolf is taking so long to come to her" shrugs Serena looking nonchalant "did you ever consider that?"

"You're telling me she's not an undesirable?"

"I hate that word" huffs Serena "you all need to get rid of it. She has a special wolf, one that will only be awakened when she finds the other half of her that's missing. That's all I'm going to say" she adds with a glower.

I bite my tongue but I am intrigued now. What kind of wolf could my sister possibly have, that was so damn special that it was better even than an Alpha's? Did such a wolf really exist?

"Now then" Serena claps her hands together "now it's time to figure out what to do with you," she says, eyeing me askance. "Will you do the right thing, Sophie? Or should I end your life here and now" she adds bluntly. "It's your choice."

I don't want to die. I also don't want Darius to hate me for the rest of my life, but if I was honest with myself, I hated what I had become lately. I was letting my mother and father poison me into becoming like them. Amber and Darius both deserved better from me. I take a deep breath "I'm going to do the right thing" I tell the moon goddess, meaning every word "but what happens now?"

She laughs. "I send you back of course. But first, you will remember everything that we've discussed and I will be keeping a close eye on you and your sister. I wish you all the best Sophie, but the path you take depends on yourself and the actions you take, starting today. Is that understood?"

I give a fervent nod. It was obvious to me. She looks pleased. I feel awkward standing there, waiting for who knew what to happen. Suddenly I feel my body beginning to rise above the ground, the moon goddess giving a small wave.

"Good luck Sophie" she calls out, as my body rises higher and higher. She becomes a small dot in the distance and then darkness comes again.

I continue to rise until I see below me, all of a sudden, my body lying in a hospital bed, tubes connected to me. How long had I been gone? It had felt like a few hours, but from the looks of it, it had been days at the minimum. My body suddenly gives a jolt and then falls hard, directly towards the hospital version of myself, slamming hard into it. Distantly I hear the sounds of different machines beeping as I struggle to open my eyelids.

"Get the doctor" I hear father shout, as my body begins to wriggle on the bed and my eyes shoot open. I see his face looking at me with something akin to relief, his eyes shining.

"Welcome back" father whispers to me lovingly as I stare around the room in stupefaction.

There's mother and even Darius was there. But no sign of Amber. I shiver in the cold and my mother fetches a blanket, placing it around me.

"You had us worried," she says quietly "it's been a few days."

I relax. But the words of the moon goddess come back to haunt me, and I stiffen, knowing that I would have to have a serious talk with Darius and soon.