Chapter 2 REJECTION

ANASTASIA

I blinked as I tried to process his words. What did he mean by me also being his mate. Did he have another? My eyes flickered to Raven who was arranging her clothes. The man was also quickly zipping up his trousers. I felt my cheeks burn when I realized that they had been up to more than kissing.

Raven's eyes burned and flashed as she said, "The other maids are helping with preparations for the banquet, so what are you doing here?"

"Maid?" The man spluttered. "You mean, she's a maid?"

"Yes, she is. Look at her, Marcus. What else do you think she's good for?"

Never had I wanted to reveal my identity as badly as I did then. I found myself actually opening my mouth to say something, to assure him that he was mistaken, that I was not a maid, that I was someone worthy to be called his mate. But then Raven was looking daggers at me. Her look promised swift, merciless retribution if I so much as said a word to contradict her.

"I can't believe this." Marcus shook his head angrily, shoved his fingers through his perfect curls. He aimed a kick at one of the potted plants. Then he glared at me, as though wishing I was the plant.

"I can't bloody believe this," he repeated. "How can I have two mates? Isn't that supposed to be rare? And then not only do I get to experience this rare phenomenon, but the other one who's supposed to be my mate happens to be a goddamn maid?" He let out a bitter laugh. "The moon goddess must be playing some sort of cruel joke on me." Raven's hand slipped into his and he held on tightly. His gaze immediately softened when he looked at her. He tucked a strand of her windblown hair behind her ear. "I mean, look at you, darling and then... look at her."

I didn't need a mirror to understand the comparison. Raven and I were twins, but looked very unlike. She had curves, perfect glowing skin, a perfect face. With a diet that consisted mainly of scraps, I didn't even have enough flesh on my bones to start with so whatever shape I still possessed was hidden under the baggy, ill fitting clothes I wore. My cheeks were hollow, emaciated. It would be very hard for anyone to tell that Raven and I had looked alike once.

Marcus's piercing blue eyes looked me over again and he muttered something about me looking like a stupid half starved dog. His words cut right through my heart, leaving a searing pain there.

I supposed I looked a little stupid, standing there and just staring at them, but I was having a really hard time believing that Raven and I had the same mate, and that he was just as nasty and unkind as Raven was.

Raven sobbed. He immediately turned his attention to her. He held her shoulder, pulled her close.

"What's the matter?" he asked anxiously.

She shook her head tears fell from the corner of her eyes. "It's just that... I just realized something..."

"What? Talk to me, please."

"Now that you have two mates, it means I will have to share you... with her!"

Raven rested her head on Marcus's shoulder and she promptly dissolved into tears. It took a while for Marcus to get her to stop crying.

"What's your name, maid?" he snarled. He had to repeat himself before I realized he was talking to me.

"AAnastasia," I stuttered.

Marcus wrapped an arm around Raven's waist, drew himself up to his full height and said, "I, Marcus Ashwood, today reject you, Anastasia as my mate."

"NO!" I shrieked. The tears I had been holding back spilled over. "You you can't"

Marcus took a threatening step towards me.

"Who do you think you are to tell me what I can or can't do?" he growled. "Say that again and that will be the last thing you ever say."

He looked so enraged that I couldn't get any words out. He took a step back and turned to Raven. She gave him a watery smile.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," he said. "The banquet starts soon."

"You go ahead. I I just need a moment to compose myself." She sniffed delicately and dabbed at her wet cheeks with a handkerchief.

Marcus looked skeptical about leaving her with me, but he nodded and began to walk away. The moment he turned his back, Raven dropped all pretense of crying. Her face contorted into an expression of hate that made her almost ugly. As I turned to leave, she grabbed my wrist.

"You," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "You've been keeping secrets."

"Let go. You're hurting me," I cried.

Her long nails dug deeper into my flesh.

"Tell me. Tell me when you completed your shift or I swear, I'll make you life more miserable than it already is."

"Let go."

I yanked my hand away from her grasp, lost my balance, almost fell. And then I was running, my vision blurred by tears. I stumbled and fell many times but I eventually made it to my house where I curled into a fetal position and cried harder than I had ever cried before. On top of all the miseries I had endured, I had now been rejected by my mate and threatened by my sister. Raven did not make idle threats. I was sure my life was about to take another downward turn. I cried until there were no more tears and then I just lay there, staring into the darkness.

A long while later, I didn't know exactly how long, I shuffled into the kitchens to get my dinner. I didn't have much appetite, so I settled for a hot cup of tea which the cook all but shoved at me as she shooed me out of the kitchen. Back in my house, I managed to drink a few drops. I was so sad and tired that it seemed like too much work to crawl up to the nest of blankets I used as a bed. So I fell asleep on the cold, stone floor.

And then I found myself in a dark, vast space. A part of me was aware that I was dreaming, but the dream felt all too real. I suddenly felt a stab of pain in my head that rapidly grew until I thought my head would implode with the force of it. I screamed for help again and again, but there was nothing but the darkness pressing down on me.

In my head, I heard Evelyn's howls of agony and her voice frantically saying, "Ana, we've been drugged. I feel... I'm loosing consciousness."

Evelyn's voice began to grow faint. The thought of loosing my wolf was intolerable. She was my only anchor in this cruel world. She was the one that had kept me sane when I was mocked, ridiculed by the pack and half starved.

"No! Stay with me!" I screamed.

"Run, Ana! You're in danger. Leave the Moongrave kingdom!" Evelyn cried.

And then she fell eerily silent.