I didn't even know what time it was by the time I managed to pry my eyes open. However, I did know I didn't want to move a single muscle, as my lower back and ass throbbed in unison.

Sounds echoed from the kitchen area as I breathed in slowly, pulling up my knees and slowly rolled on my side. Hissing under my breath as my body protested against the motion.

Even with our supernatural healing, the body could only do so much, especially after an entire day of doing nothing but mating.

Still, the ache only proved to send a tingle of awareness over my spine. A pleasant reminder of what we've been up to yesterday.

A yawn escaped me before I muffled it in the pillow and slowly inched out of bed. Letting out a hissed curse as I stood up and wobbled for a moment.

Of course, when I arrived in the kitchen, Drake just finished plating up breakfast.

"You're a fucking animal." I only half teasingly grunted in response to the smirk that curled his lips as I limped in the room.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he drew out my chair, which had already been provided with a soft pillow. "I'll take that as a compliment. After all, I don't seem to recall you protesting in the slightest."

My body answered for me as a heated flush worked its way over my face and throat. Clearing my throat awkwardly, I sat down and gratefully accepted the soft kiss.

I didn't need to be reminded about the fact that I instigated as many mating as Drake did. And he was right ; I hadn't made a complaint the entire night.

In fact, I remembered the opposite where I had begged Drake for more. And he had been more than willing to agree to my demands.

Now, I was paying the price for it.

Well, I wasn't entirely alone. I could see Drake wince the slightest bit before he readjusted his privates. It seemed that both of us got more than we bargained for.

Which is also why I eagerly accepted the heating pads and placed them on my lower back. Hoping that the additional heat could stop the spasming muscles there.

Breakfast was filled with small talk and gentle touches. A shared look and twinkle in the eye, sudden laughter as we simply felt giddy.

Mated at last. Accepted by our partner for whom we were. And both of us knew there was no risk of rejection, unless something went horribly wrong.

Meaning that either of us needed to basically go insane and on a murderous rampage before we'd consider rejection. After all, we lived through it. Experienced the brutality of it in the most detailed aspects.

Those that never experienced it, thought Rejection was a simple action. Like breaking up with a not serious relationship. A bit of heartache and it was all forgotten.

It was only those who experienced it, who knew the brutality and severity of rejection. To lose half of your soul, whom you were technically married to, and not because of age or illness.

But because they chose to not be with you.

One of the human mates of the pack had posed the question rather hesitantly. Wanting to grasp the severity of rejection, to understand how deeply it could hurt us.

They had made the mistake to ask me. I had replied in honest, brutal detail.

I had shown him my injuries, explained how I got them, how long I had lived with them. How I've had to force myself to walk on broken, dislocated bones and joints. To starve on a daily basis.

And that even all that physical pain of broken bones, dislocated joints, was nothing compared to the utter heartbreak from losing a mate.

It was one of the deepest, most agonizing sensations a supernatural being could go through. The only thing I could think of in comparison for a human, who had no idea how severe it was, was brutal.

"Is it that bad?" Nick had asked hesitantly, eyes wide and fearful as I had sighed deeply and nodded once. Trying to find the best thing to compare it to but everything I could think of, paled in comparison.

"The mating bond is instant and only grows overtime. But it's already as strong as, say a human couple that has been together since childhood. We can experience each other's emotions, can feel what they feel."

Sighing, I added, "Now, imagine all that love, the hope, trust and respect that you've built for one another. A relationship that could last through centuries, feels like you've been together since the beginning of time... and then your mate looks you in the eye, tells you your worthless and hopes that you die."

Nick cringed, eyes flitting in the distance to his own mate. "You can feel them sever the connection and it isn't done swiftly. It's an agonizing slow cut, sawing through your bonds, your nerves that connect you with them. They saw through your soul bit by bit, until the connection snaps."

I explained how the rejection occurred was different from person to person. But every single one of us experienced that one pain that we all dreaded.

After that, Nick had scurried back to his mate and hugged her, catching her off guard as I had smiled sadly. Hoping I hadn't traumatized the boy by telling the truth.

But people needed to learn the truth. To understand the severity and to take measures against rejections, especially those done on a whim.

There would always be a few brats who thought they were above the rules. That they were special enough to not fall victim of the known side effects of a Rejection and rejected their partners simply because they felt they deserved better.

I nearly scoffed and mentally rolled my eyes at the mere notion. It was often that those pups would crawl back to their former mates, begging for a second chance when the Rejection hit .

Their small, feeble egotistical minds couldn't deal with the consequences of their own actions. Couldn't possibly grasp the notion that was the same thing they've put their former mate through.

But now we were done with that suffering. Drake and I could finally begin our happily ever after.

A sigh escaped me, drawing Drake's attention with a curious frown as I realized things weren't as simple. There were still a few loose ends that needed to be tied off and cleaned.

My fingers drummed over the table with annoyance, as a single name was enough to ruin the happy mood I've felt up until now.

"Max." I said in answer to Drake's curious look, which turned into one of understanding as he nodded, polishing off his plate.

"You deserve to have closure, sweetheart." Drake smiled as I chewed pensively on my last bite of breakfast and sighed. "I'm sure that you never want to see or hear from him again, but you're bound to have questions bouncing around in your head."

I hummed, not really wanting to admit that he was right. During the years of my rejection, I had always wondered why Max had turned against me. Acted as if I was some monster that had killed his lover.

"Is he still roaming around pack territory?" I murmured, bringing my dishes to the sink so both of us could work together in washing and drying them.

Drake nodded, handing me a dish towel before starting to wash our dishes. It was quick, easy work and not before long, everything was put back in place.

"He is, though I wouldn't be surprised if Tutu invited him in, merely so she could introduce him to Elliot." He sighed, shaking his head while I snorted in amusement.

I wouldn't be surprised either. Anna was a remarkable woman with a strong will of her own. There was not a doubt in that, while she had the best intentions in mind for everyone within the pack, she also wasn't afraid to protect what was hers.

Including her grandson and myself. After all, Anna had been the one to guide Elliot away after our conversation, so I wouldn't be surprised if that had been the elderly woman's intentions all along.

Not that it was a bad idea. If those two were a match, at the very least they would be more occupied with one another than trying to desperately save a bond that could no longer be salvaged.

It also made me realize that I had to speak to Max. If I wanted to have a peace of mind and get answers to all the questions I had, he was the one who could provide me with the answers.

And I also knew that, if he had a fragment of an inclination that he could still salvage this, he would cling onto it desperately.

Until we had spoken, he wouldn't give himself or a Choice mate a chance at a happy future. Which made me even more pressed to go talk to him, even though I'd love to never see his face again.

As long as there was still a chance that he was lurking around the territory and could potentially ruin our days, I wasn't going to rest easy.

Max needed to be told that it's over and done with. And then I could live the life I deserved.

With a sigh, I allowed myself to be pulled to my feet by Drake. Who guided me to the bathroom and took his time bathing us both until we were refreshed, fully prepared and ready to head back to the pack.

Plus, I knew that we could always come back here. It wasn't as if this place was going to disappear the second we turned our backs towards it.

So with a disgruntled huff I shifted, grabbing the small bag that held my clothes before following Drake's tail through the forest.

The closer we got to the rest of the pack, the more nervous I felt. After all, I hadn't really talked to Max since the rejection. Well, unless you'd consider the punch and me telling him to leave me the fuck alone.

Besides that, I hadn't wasted any words on him. Had ran away from him every chance I got, to the point where I had hid behind Drake, used him as a buffer between myself and my former mate.

Yet now I was following Drake back, allowing him to guide me through the dense forest until the recovery center came in view. The wolf pack wasn't present, most likely running along the mountains somewhere, or perhaps even hunting.

After shifting and getting changed, it felt oddly weird to be back within the pack. Especially considering that technically, I was now considered to be a fellow Alpha.

Even if it was only through mating, I was now the other half of the forces that ruled this pack. In all intents and purposes, that made me an Alpha.

Drake reached out, fingers intertwining as we calmly walked towards the pack house. "You've only just realized this? Not when we were still in our courting stage, or when I had presented my interest in you?"

I flushed, clearing my throat as he barked out an amused laugh, shaking his head. "Cut me some slack; after all, you're not like any Alpha I've ever come across." I muttered in my defense.

Drake hummed teasingly, the tone indicating he was trying to believe me while I huffed and sighed. Yet still held onto him, giving him a playful nudge that he replied with one of his own.

That air of playfulness quickly disappeared as we entered the main building, with Drake guiding us to his office. "I've already sent word ahead and Max was easy to find. He's waiting for you in my office."

I steeled my nerves, being the first to approach and open the door, with Drake closely behind.

Max... was an absolute mess. A thick, unkempt stubble on his face that borderline was becoming a beard, dark shadows under his eyes and sunken cheeks.

A sigh left my lips before I shook my head. Walking across the room before taking a seat while Drake kept his distance, yet stayed in the room.

Undoubtedly, he didn't want to take any chances with Max. Not knowing where his mental state, or that of his wolf's was.

"Kyle... I-" Max faltered, eyes flitting back to his hands, which were nervously wringing together. Mouth opening and closing, like a fish on dry land yet unable to produce a sound.

There were many feelings that struggled to rise to the surface. None of which was love. To be honest, I both hated and pitied this sorry creature in front of me. This wasn't the formerly proud Beta candidate I knew Max to be.

Instead, this was a ghost of his former self. A shadow of the man I once loved. The man who betrayed me for no proper reason.

"We're here to talk." I muttered, crossing my legs and leaning back in the chair as my eyes pinned Max in his seat. Daring him to approach. "So ."

He swallowed thickly, cringing back at the sharpness of my voice. "I don't know... where to start."

"The beginning would be nice. For starters; Why did you attack me?" I questioned with a motion towards my injuries, feeling some form of satisfaction as Max's eyes landed on my still disfigured wrist.

The question in itself made him gulp, fingers sinking in his matted hair as he shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know! I saw you on top of my brother and I just reacted."

A scoff escaped my throat as I leaned back, my own wolf snarling in response to the wounded, confused whine that slipped from Max's throat.

"So it was my fault, is it? I was standing overtop of your injured brother, who I from rogues mind you, but ultimately nobody cared about that."

I leaned forwards as Max shook his head but shut his mouth when I motioned for him to be quiet. "The truth is Max, that you and your family, hell, your entire pack, have always been hypocritical racists."

"Ever since I joined in, mated with you, I was never Kyle, never Max's mate. I was the former Rogue." My throat burned at the memory, emotions threatening to rise and spill as I continued, "I was always treated like some psychopath that was about to explode. Kept at a distance, never fully accepted. Even when people smiled in my face, I knew what their faces turned into when I turned my back."

Max's shoulders started shaking, head falling in his hands as I continued on without remorse. "I didn't care what the pack thought of me back then. I had you, and that was all I needed. I knew that with enough time, the pack would see me for who I really was."

For a moment, the room stayed quiet save for Max's sobbing and the occasional low growl that slipped from my wolf. I realized then that it was in charge, letting out all the barely contained anger and resentment from the past years.

"At the very least, you owe me an explanation. A fucking reason behind my banishment besides the pitiful excuse that I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, have I ever given any of you a reason to distrust me?"

Max shook his head with a weakly croaked "No. Never. You've never- I..." He wheezed, unable to form a complete sentence before I sighed and shook my head. Watching him whimper and cry like a tired toddler who didn't even know why they were crying.

Slowly my breathing calmed, the anger seeping away as I knew it wouldn't solve anything.

I could rant and rave, scream to my heart's content yet when I was done, it wouldn't change a thing about the past. Facts remained what they were and being overly emotional, even if it was justified, wouldn't aid this healing process.

So I allowed him to calm down, even handed him a few tissues from the box on Drake's desk before sitting back down. Observing his sniveling as he cleared his nose with a full body shiver.

"Talk. I want to understand the circumstances that led to my rejection. To your attack on me that has left me scarred for life."

Slowly he calmed down, an occasional sad whimper from his wolf slipping through before he straightened up and nodded. "It's the least I can do."