Rejection on the Full Moon (Rejection Series) Chapter 42

"I swear, you were trying to kill us with all that running, but your pack doesn't seem fazed." Zack appears at my side, taking a seat at our table and causing my friends to look uneasily at him. I sigh, taking a bite of my food as Dominic chuckles, looking over my head at my brother, who sits on my left side.

"That's actually our warm-up when we train," Dominic admits. My friends break out laughing as my brother looks wide-eyed at everyone, his mouth agape at this revelation. I nearly choke on my food, laughing hard as my brother turns his wide-eyed gaze to me.

"He's not joking, is he Amberle?" Zack asks, a little doubtful.

"Nope, what we're doing with Forest Paw is about a quarter of what we do at Blood Moon. It's why our pack is number one." I answer, pride seeping into my voice as I swipe the sausage from Zack's plate, quickly devouring it.

"Get your own food. That was mine!" He exclaims, glaring at me as I finish the stolen morsel.

"And my childhood was mine, but you let Mia take it away from me. I even have the scars on my body to prove it." I retort, sending my own glare his way. As much as I believe things could change between my brother and me, I still have a few things to say to him. Our parents made him promise to look after Mia and me, yet he still stood there when she tortured me with Leo. The scars on my body were evidence of this.

"Abby and I… We would take back everything if we could. You never deserved what happened to you." A defeated look takes over Zack as he slumps in his seat, a look of guilt and remorse on his face as unshed tears fill his eyes. Thankfully, my friends stay silent, providing me with their presence as support as I deal with my brother. Dominic's hand reaches over to take mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"He's right. The day you ended up being whipped by Leo and Mia, we were at the pack hospital ourselves, finding out we were expecting Lilly-Ann. You wouldn't remember this since you were knocked out on pain medication, but Zack stayed every night to take care of you." Abby settles into the empty chair beside Zack, her hand reaching out to give her mate a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. Surprise fills me as I knew Abby was not one to lie. I turn to look at Zack, this time shocked by this newfound knowledge.

"It's true. I knew Mia was bad but not as bad as that. After seeing you in the hospital for so many days and in so much pain, I felt guilty and kept my distance from you. This helped keep Mia from hurting you more, and with Blue, Axel, and Serena keeping watch over you, I knew you were safe." My friends all held the same shock as I did on their faces, and I lean into Dominic, needing his calming presence to keep me grounded. The revelation that Zack stayed away from me to protect me made sense. Whenever Zack was around ignoring me, Mia would keep her distance.

"When did you two become enemies?" I ask, wondering when Mia and Zack started to distance themselves from each other.

"The day you were whipped, I started to stay away from Mia. It was hard, considering we were each other's support after… You know… It was then that I realized I should have been there for you too. It wasn't your fault our parents were murdered. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." Zack answers, each feature of his face etched in sadness. The air is thick with regret, and I couldn't help but lean forward and wrap my arms around Zack, giving him a hug.

[Can you guys give the three of us some space?] I ask my friends as Zack's arms wrap around me. I feel the wetness on my shoulder where his forehead rests, and I know that my brother is silently crying, doing his best not to appear weak in front of my pack mates.

[Link us if you need anything.] Greg answers, a smile on his face as everyone leaves the table, leaving Abby, Zack, and I alone.

"It was just a month after you left. Mia started fooling around with Leo. She gained this high and mighty attitude thinking that she would be made Luna in three years when the bond between the two of you fully broke." Abby continues as Zack pulls away from the hug, taking a napkin off the table to dry his now tear-stained face.

"Her attitude continued to get worse each day she spent with Leo, and at the time, Abby was pregnant. She nearly killed Lilly-Ann by bumping into her while playing in the front yard. It was the worst day of my life, watching my baby fight for her life because of her so-called Aunt." Zack continues, his gaze turning to where his children play with other pups as my eyes follow to where he looked. That's when I see the scars snaking up Lily-Ann's arm and neck, scars that were hidden by her winter gear at the bonfire. My heart clenches at the sight of Lilly-Ann with a carefree smile and the lines marring her visible skin before rage takes over.

"Mia did that to her?" I question, my gaze returning to my brother and sister-in-law.

"She did. After that, it took everything in me not to kill that bitch." Zack answers, rage simmering behind his gaze that he turns to me.

"Thank you for beating the crap out of her, by the way. I'm glad one of us could do it." I just nod in response, turning to look at Abby, the ex-Head Tracker who trained me to the point of exhaustion most days.

"Did you choose her to take your spot?" I question, already having a hunch with her answer.

"No, Leo did. Considering she's his little whore, it didn't surprise anyone. I actually wanted you to be the one to take over when I retired." Abby answers, her eyes also hardening with the mention of Mia. It seemed like I misjudged these two. Instinct tells me that Zack and Abby hated Forest Paw just as much as I do, and that they needed some form of hope for not only them, but for their pups as well.