Rejected, but not Broken
Chapter 40

Gabi’s POV

“So she is just like our little sister, she just happens to have four as*s-kicking brothers to help take care of her. We just wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t get hurt anymore.

She took those cracked ribs like a trooper, and I know for a fact, just by seeing her face when it happened, that wasn’t the first time she had to deal with cracked ribs.

As she was titled a “wolf-less” Omega in her pack, because her wolf, Tala, was so busy healing her, she didn’t have the strength to come forward.

We had never even seen her wolf until earlier today. Tala is beautiful, and she was right to hide her, as seeing her let anyone looking at her know right away which pack she belonged to.

Alpha Heath and Luna Von were right to tell her to just train in human form, but Alan was right when he said that the test couldn’t have been made any harder. She killed us all, and I couldn’t have been more proud of her. She was patient, and she worked out of the box.

We call her Little Terminator and don’t let her size confuse you. Gabi can take care of herself. I already know right now that she would have brought her thigh holster and worn it under her dress but was told not to”, Hudson said and then smiled at me across the table.

He was right, I got voted down, this dress was too tight to wear without it being seen. I knew that I didn’t need it because they were both armed under their suits.

I already knew if it were bad enough for them to have to use their weapons that either Heath or Alan would have an extra gun for me to use to help us get out of any jam we stumbled into.

“Would you like to dance, Gabi? I heard Tanner ask me and I looked over at him.

“Um, I don’t know how. I was never allowed to go to any of the dances at school. I really don’t know how to, and I don’t want to embarrass you, Tanner”, I told him.

“You could never embarrass me, Gabi. I am more proud of you than you will ever realize. I will show you. We will go out at the next slow song and dance. With slow music you don’t move very much, and you can just follow my lead”, Tanner told me, and I nodded in agreement.

I was nervous, but I was glad to get to be in his arms again. I was still in his lap, and I was very comfortable there.

I didn’t feel like moving back into my seat. I heard the music change into a slow dance and stood up, and Tanner took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

He stopped up near the stage and in the dark corner for us to dance. I had assumed that he was wanting me to learn to dance in private, but I learned very quickly when he dipped me and then k!ssed me, that was the real reason that we were where we were on the dance floor.

Tanner makes my heart beat faster and I enjoy him k!ssing me. The song passed way too quickly and then the faster music came up and then Gavin and Alicia came out and danced near us. I know it was because Alicia wanted to help me, and she did.

She is a great dancer, and I was soon moving confidently with them on the dance floor. We stayed out there for about 30 minutes and I was thirsty, so Tanner took me to the drink table and we both got drinks.

We were headed back to our table when I heard a familiar voice say, “Oh my Goddess it is her” coming from my right, I looked over and saw a stunned Piper, Derek, and Heather looking at me like they couldn’t believe that it was me, and I just rolled my eyes at them and went to keep walking.

I just wanted to get back to our table as quickly as I could, to let Heath and Alan know that they were there. But Tanner had come right up behind me and put a protective arm around my wa!st and stopped me from moving, and said smoothly, “Darling, do you know these people?”. Tanner was not putting out feel-good vibes to them. I know they felt it as they all moved back a step from us.

“No, not anymore, I don’t,” I told him and turned again to go back to our table.

“Wait! Gabi, I am so sorry. For everything, I am sorry I rejected you. I was going to tell you that before when you came to the packhouse and rejected me, you broke my heart. Gabi, if you would just stay my mate, I would give up being an Alpha for you.

I would ask my Aunt Von and Uncle Heath if we could live with them together. I just want you back. Please forgive me. I was wrong, and I cannot lose you again.

Please say that you will give me another chance?” Derek told me and stepped up to me, only to be met with the angry face of Tanner, who stepped in front of me.

I looked over and saw Heath, Alan, and Hudson coming my way with Luna Liz right behind them and everyone else at our table watching us in case we needed anyone else to help.

I stepped around Tanner and said, “Derek, you rejected me, remember? On my birthday? We were done right then. I just needed to come back and accept the rejection. You wanted a chosen mate.

Well, there she is Derek. You two chose each other and I wish you both nothing but the best. I have met my second chance mate now, Derek, it is too late for you to want to get me back. You knocked me into heat from meeting my mate, and every single time that you and Piper were together after you rejected me, I felt it.

The pain was so bad the first time that I literally passed out. Do you know how many times I have had broken bones, cracked ribs, cut with silver by your little friend here, cigarettes put out on my skin, and I never passed out from that pain.

No, you probably don’t, because you never really cared about me, to begin with. So, let’s just skip this “I want you, Gabi” shall we, and we can all go to our own tables and forget the other is here, OK?”.

I went to walk away when Heather called out loudly after me, “How could you take Taylor’s boyfriend away from her? You must be really good in bed to be drawing all these Alpha’s in”. Heather smirked at me like she thought she was going to embarrass me.

I stepped back right up to her and looked her in the eyes and said, “You would be an expert at sleeping with people. You sure did it a lot in school, even when Derek here was away at Alpha Training when you two were supposed to still be dating, you managed to keep up your expert level on that didn’t you?

I have kept myself for my mate, I don’t run after you trying to be offensive, and yet every single time you see me you strive to do it. Just keep my name off of your lips and we will be just fine”, I told her, and before I could step away again, Tanner spoke.

“You seem to have received some bad information. I was never, ever Taylor’s boyfriend. Goddess forbid. Taylor is just now 17 and cannot even tell who her mate is for a whole year more, and yet you all believed her. She just wanted me to be her mate, and I will thank the Goddess every day for her giving me Gabi, and not Taylor.

Taylor cannot hold a candle to Gabi, in any way, shape, or form. Gabi is completely better than Taylor in every possible way. Any of you who believed Taylor and her lies, need to try to think for yourselves, as

you ALL know as wolves, that you cannot get your mate until 18.

Gabi is my true mate and Taylor did everything in her power to keep us apart. Gabi is mine, and as soon as she lets me, I will mark her, and then mate her. I will NOT allow you to touch her young Alpha.

You rejected her, and she is not yours anymore. If you touch her again, I will have no problem at all killing you for doing it. I belong to her as much as she belongs to me.

Use your own brain and stop listening to the only person in this pack who cannot tell the truth to save her own life and has to literally be Alpha Commanded for you to be able to get the truth from her” Tanner finished and he had raised his voice like Heather had done to make sure everyone in the ballroom knew the truth, from his mouth, and it was NOT what Taylor had told them.

They all stood there stunned and Luna Liz took my arm and led me back to the table, with Tanner following along right behind me.

Tanner takes his seat and then places me on his lap again and he looks back at Derek with an arched eyebrow, as if daring him to come over.

Piper is yelling at Derek for telling me that he would give up being an Alpha for me, and probably for not telling her about him being with Heather.

I see him looking at our table and think he now knows where I have been staying, as Von and Heath are at my table. I see Heather on her phone texting, and I know it cannot be good for me whoever is on the other end of the phone.

So, I mindlinked Heath and told him and he looked over at Heather too. Heath mindlinked Alan and Hudson, who walked over to her table and Alan placed $500 in hundreds on it and when she asked why they were giving her money, Alan takes the phone from her hand and puts it into the sink at the wet bar and turns it on, letting the water completely cover the phone by an inch, before shutting the water off. Heather is screaming at them, and they both look at her and then walk back to our table.

Luna Liz got up and went over to speak quietly with Derek, away from Heather and Piper, who were both now fuming, and informed him that there were actions about to come into play and that she would get the training team to come to the Red River pack, if the rogues attacked again, for the pack be trained. Luna Liz had a feeling that the rogues would be coming back to attack in the next month and a half, as she figured that around the Luna ceremony they would strike.

I felt eyes on me the rest of the night, I always went to the restroom with a group, and the last time we went for the night, I saw Derek right outside the restroom when we came out. He didn’t say anything at first, he just stood there and stared at me, but I didn’t feel anything for him anymore.

He made his decision, and now he had to make good on it. I heard he had wanted to keep me as a side piece, to keep him strong, by keeping me in the pack and having children with me. I don’t know how it never occurred to him that it would be a complete slap in the face to me, for him to have treated me that way.

For me to be kept as a mistress, and not as the Luna that I was supposed to be. For our children to be made fun of and not valued as much as his children with Piper. For me to be less than, and Piper be valued.

Luna Liz stepped up to him to see if he was OK, and he smiled sadly at me and said, “I just wanted to tell Gabrielle that she looked beautiful tonight” before walking away, back towards his table.

My eyes burned for a minute, as he just reminded me of the boy I used to know, but I put my shoulders back and walked back to the table.

Derek had his chance to do the right thing. He knew we were mates well before he left for Alpha Training. He let his dad convince him to make other choices. He made his own choices, now he needs to live with them.