Word Count : 2552

Reese

Reese chuckled at one of Ben's jokes, though he honestly wasn't sure what Ben had just said. He was just trying to get through the pain and pretend nothing was wrong. His chest ached like he'd been beaten by Thor's hammer, pain pulsed through him with every heartbeat, radiating out through his body like a jolt of electricity. His wolf had not stopped howling since it happened, Noah was going crazy, grieving, and crying for his lost mate.

They were sitting in their private game room in the pack house. Ben, Drew, and Callum were playing call of duty and arguing, Zach sat watching, rarely saying anything, while Adam sat across the room staring out the window alone. Reese kept looking over at his friend and he was getting a little annoyed, Adam was acting like he was the one who lost his mate today instead of Reese, even though Reese was trying to play it off like nothing happened. Reese knew Adam was pissed at him for doing it, but he didn't have to act like his world was the one that just ended over it.

"Hey." Callum said to Reese. "Sorry about today man, sorry you got the shaft so bad. No way I would ever think you'd get stuck with a shitty loser mate like Harper."

Reese tensed, it pissed him off that Callum spoke like that about Harper, even though he himself had said as much right to her face when he'd rejected her.

"Shut the fuck up Callum!" Adam shouted from across the room. "Just shut up, you douche. How can you talk about your own sister like that? You know what? You guys are some fucked up assholes. There's nothing wrong with Harper. Not a damn thing. She's a sweet, smart, pretty girl, she's never done a goddamn thing to you or anyone else. Her and Celie both, everyone's been treating them like shit for no damn reason and I'm tired of it! Leave her alone! Haven't you fucking put her through enough?" Adam had been furious when Callum had bragged to everyone about what he'd said to her when she came home after school. "You said that shit to your own sister, kicked her when she was down. What did she ever fucking do to you to deserve that shit? She's your fucking sister, you, of all people, should have her back, but your worse than the others! If I had a little sister, I'd always have her back, I'd protect her with my life, no matter what. You want to see a loser? Look in the goddamn mirror!"

Adam got up and stormed out of the room, leaving them all staring after him, stunned, but he didn't get far before they heard a voice through the link.

Alpha Lucas said through the mind link, causing Reese to tense and exchange an uncomfortable glance with the others.

Reese was dreading facing his parents, his mom and dad loved Harper like their own daughter. They would have been thrilled to the moon if they knew Harper would be his mate.

"What's up, Dad?" Reese tried to play it cool as he came through the door of his father's office, but one look at his mother's face stopped him. She had tears in her eyes clutching a small piece of paper in her hand.

"Have you seen Harper?" Luna Sophia asked immediately. "Have you seen her since school let out? Do you know where she is?"

"No, I haven't seen her since this afternoon." Reese said, his stomach clenching. "Why?"

"She's gone!" Luna Sophia cried, not noticing Reese flinch. "She's missing, I can't find her anywhere, her phone is off, her room is empty, all her stuff is gone, and I found this note in the kitchen."

Reese took the paper from her hand and he felt sick before passing it to Callum whose face went white as a ghost, Adam looked at Reese with absolute fury in his eyes when the note came to him.

Dear Luna Sophia and Alpha Lucas,

Thank you for your kindness to me, I will always be grateful. I didn't mean to be such a burden and disappointment. I'm sorry.

Harper

"Why would she have left like that? Why would she think that she's a burden and a disappointment?" Luna Sofia said. "Did something happen today? Did something happen to her?"

"I..." Reese started but was interrupted when Celie's father Will came running into the room.

"The girls are gone! My daughter is gone!" Will said in a rush. "We have to find them; we have to search for them now!"

"What?!" Luna Sophia exclaimed. "What is happening!?"

Will handed her a folded sheet of paper, she opened it slowly and tears began streaming from her eyes as she read it. Alpha Lucas rushed over to her and started reading over her shoulder, his brows drew together, and anger clouded his eyes.

"Get a search party together, we have two missing girls." Alpha Lucas said, and his Beta Mark began using the mind link to contact the warriors, getting everyone to the pack house.

"What the hell has been happening at school?" Alpha Lucas turned to the boys; his face hard.

"What do you mean?" Reese tried to hedge, but Luna Sophia handed him the letter and he felt like he would throw up reading it.

Daddy,

I'm sorry for doing this, I know it will hurt you, but I have to, I hope you will understand. Things have been going on at school that I haven't told you about because I didn't want to worry you or put more stress on you, but things are bad, they are so, so bad. Harper and I have been being seriously bullied since Mom died, it's not been as bad for me, they just call me a stupid skinny loser all the time. But Harper has been the school's biggest target for years, in the last year she's even become the school punching bag, they spit on her, they curse her, they hit her and no one will stand up for her, no one will help her, not one person is nice or kind to her, and the things they say to her are horrible beyond imagining. She hides the cuts and bruises and hasn't said anything, or let me say anything, because she feels she is already a burden on the alpha and luna and she doesn't want to cause them any more problems. She has suffered alone for years.

Harper was rejected by her mate today in front of the whole school, completely humiliated for being an 'ugly pathetic loser'. You would think he would have had enough compassion for his own mate to at least do it in private, but some people are cruel right down to their bones, I guess he is one of those sick people who enjoys hurting others for fun. She scented him and tried to leave, she begged me not to make her go out there, but I literally dragged her out to the parking lot anyway because I wanted to find my mate, and her mate saw her, then screamed in her face that she was an ugly pathetic loser and rejected her in front of everyone. If I hadn't made her go out there it wouldn't have happened like that, it's my fault she was so humiliated, it's all my fault. She told me this morning she would be rejected by her mate today, there was no doubt in her mind. She stopped wishing for a mate years ago because she had lost all hope that anyone would want her for their mate. She told me once that hope was the biggest lie of all, and that if you held onto it, you were holding onto nothing. That's what they did to her, they took away all her hope. I told her over and over that her mate would love her, but it turns out she was right all along.

I was rejected today too, but at least he was kind enough to do it alone after school and not in front of everyone. He only did it in private because he didn't want to be embarrassed by anyone finding out I was his mate. Harper was so brave, she just stood tall and accepted her rejection. I broke down and cried like a little baby, I begged him not to do it, but he just walked away and left me there crying in the dirt alone. He was the mate I wanted too, the one I asked the moon goddess for over and over, wishing for years for him to be my mate, only to have him reject me and walk away like I was garbage on the ground. I have never felt so stupid as I feel right now, I guess I thought too much of myself. Being rejected is even worse than I ever thought possible, imagine your chest being hacked apart with a burning hot pick axe by the mate you love, that's what being rejected feels like, it feels like dying. I told Harp over and over that she wouldn't be rejected. I guess I lied to her, but I really didn't think anyone could reject her, she's so beautiful and sweet, anyone would be lucky to have her for a mate. I don't understand Daddy, I just don't understand what we did so wrong to deserve to be rejected.

Harper and I have decided to leave, we can't stay here, there's just too much pain and humiliation for us. I can't stand being around the mate who rejected me, it hurts too much. I can't look at him every day and see how much he hates me without knowing why. I can't watch my friend get hurt worse than she already has been. We don't want to be in a pack with people who are so heartless and cruel. Don't look for us, we'll be long gone by the time you read this. Please don't come after us Daddy, please don't force us to come back here. I know telling you not to worry will be silly, but we are big girls, and we will take care of each other. We are going to start over as far away as we can get, we will never come back here, hopefully things will be better out there. Maybe I'll even get a second chance someday, I hope for one. Harper hates the idea; she said a second mate is just a second rejection and that if the moon goddess has any mercy she won't make her go through another one. She has no hope.

Tell Lachlan and Cian I love them more than life. I will write to you and let you know we are ok.

I love you and will miss you.

Celie

Reese's jaws were clenched so hard he seriously worried he would crush his own teeth, tears threatened to fill his eyes and he fought them nearly as hard as he was fighting his wolf who was trying to come out, pushing for control, and howling in pain in his head.

Callum took the letter out of Reese's hand and tears began to seep from his eyes as he read it. Zach sent disgusted glares at Reese and Callum as he read the letter, then turned away as Adam took it from him. But Adam didn't read it, he glanced around before folding it and tucking it discretely into his pocket when no one was looking, he didn't want to read it in front of everyone.

"We have to find them before they run into any rogues or pass into a hostile pack's territory, they couldn't have gotten that far." Alpha Lucas said, "Get the men to the borders and try to pick up their scents."

"I think they're already gone." Will said, tears in his eyes. "I can't sense her at all, I can't link her, or pick up anything. I don't think they went through the woods; I don't think they left as wolves, she took too many clothes with her to go over land, they must have gone to the city."

"Then we may never find them." Luna Sophia said softly. "If they got on a plane, there's no telling where they are now, we can't track them through the human cities. We need to call investigators, call the human police, report them missing, and see if we could find out if they bought tickets or used their credit cards."

Marie, Beta Mark's mate, jumped up and ran to start making the calls.

"What the hell has been happening at school?" Alpha Lucas asked again, his jaw tight, the anger on his face getting more intense by the second.

"They...the girls, get bullied a bit, they get called names and stuff." Zach started slowly.

"Did you know about this?" Alpha Lucas turned to Reese.

"I knew there were some things being said." Reese tried to deflect; his palms had started to sweat. He avoided Adam and Zach's glares.

"And you let it happen?" Luna Sophia demanded. "You allow girls to be bullied at school? You allowed Harper to get beat up and spit on?"

"I didn't see anyone ever spit on Harper." Reese tried again, technically it was true, he'd never seen anyone do it.

"Harper is our family!" Luna Sophia said harshly. "She lives in our home, she's your family and you let others treat her this way? Did you know too?" Luna Sophia turned to Callum. "Did you know and do nothing to protect your own sister?" Callum said nothing, just stared at the floor, telling her everything she needed to know.

"Who's been doing it?" Alpha Lucas asked. "I want to know who is responsible for this behavior."

"Dad..." Reese said softly, "everyone..."

"Everyone?" Alpha Lucas repeated. "I want to talk to these kids."

Reese and the other tensed, glancing at each other nervously.

"Beta Mark, start setting up appointments for me to see each student." Alpha Lucas said.

"Dad, let me handle this." Reese tried, he needed to keep his parents from finding out the truth.

"No." Luna Sophia said. "We'll handle this. Your father and I will handle it, and you need to stay out of it."

"Yes, you do need to stay out of it." Alpha Lucas said, looking hard at Reese. "As a matter of fact, as your alpha, I forbid any of you, from discussing any of this with any other student or member of the pack. I don't want anyone getting their stories straight before we talk to them." He said it in his alpha tone, assuring that they would have no choice but to obey, even Reese couldn't disobey his father's alpha command. Alpha Lucas looked them over, making eye contact with each boy, making them acknowledge his command. "Now go."

"We'll join the search party..." Reese started but was cut off by his father.

"No, just go back to whatever you were doing, this will be handled by us." Alpha Lucas said, and pointed to the door. "Go."

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