Rejected, Then Reborn
Chapter 82

Anaya Adeline Winchester had been summoned by her brother.

For what, she had no idea, but I guess she’d know soon enough.

It had been quite long in coming, but the Lyken Princess had done a lot of growing up in the past year. She pitched in to help whenever she could, and she didn’t even bemoan her fate and complain about the fact that she did not have a greater purpose… a higher calling, like her brother and his mate did.

For the first time in a long while, she felt like the old her.

The one who was cheerful and good and always fought for what she believed to be right.

It really felt great to be back.

As the Lyken Princess with the red, bone straight hair traversed the long corridors, she couldn’t help but wonder what Reed wanted with her.

Perhaps he wanted her to go to council headquarters to see Lacy?

Or perhaps she was needed in one of the other realms, something which happened from time to time?

She was so lost in thought that she bumped surprisingly into someone, tripping and falling almost face flat, if it hadn’t been for the strong, powerful arms that pulled her to itself, cocooning her in its warmth.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the hazel eyes of the Lyken who had refused to see her in secret. “X—Xavier.”

He had gotten so good at avoiding her that now it didn’t even hurt anymore.

She was the one who had f****d it all up though, and so, in as much as she wanted to hate him or try shifting the blame, she knew deep down that it was never going to be possible.

But perhaps, it was better this way.

At least now, she could go back to loving him from a distance.

Because that one was her safe haven.

“Anaya. What a pleasant surprise, how—how have you been? It’s been a while.”

Oh, so he was going to pretend like he never saw her coming and quickly went in the opposite direction all those times he had evaded her?

It was cool.

No really, it was… two people could surely play the same game.

And so, the Lyken Princess smiled stiffly, hoping to the heavens that it came off as genuine. “Yeah, it has really been a while. Uhm… Reed sent for me, you don’t happen to know what it is about, do you?”

“Uh, I actually do… but I prefer you hear it from him. Besides, I’m needed at the clinic so I’ve really got to bolt.”

Oh.

“Sure, sure. Of course.” She managed, slightly confused and stuck in a weird kind of daze as the healer supreme walked away from her.

She had lost him.

She just knew it.

Right after her stupid outburst that afternoon in the rain, she had slept over it and done some actual thinking and realised that Xavier had been right.

There was no way in hell that Reed would see the two of them happy and still refuse to allow them to be together. Her brother was ruthless, but certainly not that ruthless.

And so that very same night, she had bundled up her grandma nightie, not even getting the sense to change into something seductive, and she had allowed her dainty feet to carry her as quickly as they could to his chambers.

But right before she could knock, she heard a sound that sent her delicate heart breaking into tiny pieces.

A woman moaning.

It hadn’t even been a f*****g day, and he had moved on already?

She had been heartbroken, his grunts as he smacked the woman and her loud shrieks and m***s, begging for more sending her over the edge, causing her to lose whatever courage she had had and sending her fleeing to her room where she had cried the entire night.

But that had still not broken down her resolve.

What finally did was the fact that after days of trying to reach out to him, and he avoiding her, she managed to corner him one night only for him to tell her how grateful he was that she had refused his offer, because he wasn’t really thinking then and he had kind of been caught in a spur of the moment situation.

To say she had been utterly devastated was truly an understatement.

She had gone down a spiral so deadly that she had barely recognized herself, and he had tried to be there for her, but that had made her hate him because in a way, she blamed him, given that he had been the one to push her over the edge.

It had been a whole mess.

One that now that she was completely recovered, she realised that she didn’t need to blame him for. This had all been her doing.

Anaya shook her head to clear the saddening thoughts, her mind refocusing on why her brother had summoned her once more, her steps picking up as she made her way over to Reed’s place.

But as Anaya finally arrived at her brother’s chambers, she could sense that something was off. The air felt heavy, and there was a strange tension that hung in the room.

“Reed?” she called out tentatively as she pushed open the door.

Her brother was sitting at his desk, his expression dark and troubled as he shot her a gaze, standing up almost as soon as he saw her. “Anaya, thank you for coming.”

“What’s wrong, Reed?” she asked, her heart starting to race.

Reed hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “It’s Lacy. She’s expending too much power on trying to make the realms better. I heard she had a fainting spell today, and she didn’t even tell me about it when I called and we spoke earlier today. I’m driving out immediately to go and check up on her.”

Now that Anaya took her older brother in, she realised that he was fully dressed in a suit, and that he was already wielding car keys.

She steeled her shoulders, looking up at him eagerly. “I understand. What can I do to help?”

Reed looked up at Anaya and sighed heavily. “Anaya, I know you may not be okay with this, but you’re the only one I can count on to do this for me.”

“You know I’ll do anything for you, Reed, what is it?” She asked, her heart racing with anticipation.

“I need you to go to the Blue Valley Pack,” The Alpha King said. “They’ve been having some issues lately, and we need someone from the council over there to supervise things and make sure everything is running smoothly.”

Anaya frowned. “Why me? I’m just a junior member in the council. Can’t someone else go?”

“You’re the most capable person I know, Anaya,” Reed said, giving her a small smile. “I know this, and the council has eventually seen this too.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have been promoted to senior member, Anaya, and we would have told you tomorrow at the monthly meeting, but you get why I have to rush things now,”

“Of course, of course, I do.” She cut him off excitedly, her heart already welling with excitement.

“Besides,” Reed continued, “I think it’s time for you to take on a bigger role in the council. This is a chance for you to prove yourself.”

Anaya felt a surge of joy so great, the fact that she was worried about her friend curbing it down a bit.

But this was wonderful news.

She had always wanted to take on more responsibility within their Clan.

She didn’t just want to be Princess, and now after years and years of patiently waiting, the perfect opportunity had landed on her lap. “When do I leave?”

“Tonight,” Reed answered. “I have already arranged for a private jet to take you there. You’ll be staying with the pack for three months as a Senior Council Member, and their new Alpha, Jackson, will give you weekly reports which you would in turn send over to the Council for scrutiny.”

Anaya nodded, feeling a sense of determination wash over her.

She would do everything in her power to make sure that the Blue Valley Pack was running smoothly and that their issues were resolved as quickly as possible.

This was a role she was going to take seriously, and she would pour her whole heart into it to make sure that she delivered results that were more than excellent.

“Thank you, Reed,” She said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

She knew she wanted nothing more than to jump up and down in excitement and cover her brother with hugs and k****s, and she knew he knew that too, but that didn’t exactly scream Senior Council Member, did it?

Besides, she had this fear that he’d just take it all back, given how much he was a hater for all things PDA that did not come from his mate.

And so instead, she settled for the next best thing; nodding her head solemnly, and telling him the words she knew he wanted to hear, “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” The Alpha King replied, his eyes shining with pride as he closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he led her out of his room.

Wait what?

Anaya couldn’t help it, she gasped. “Who are you, and what have you done to my brother, you imposter?” She mocked him, but he took it all in good faith, laughing good naturedly, “I deserve that.” He chuckled.

“Lacy has honestly made you a better version of yourself, Reed.” The princess admitted with a soft smile, “I look at you each day, and my heart wells up with joy seeing the happy man you have become. You deserve it, Reed. After all you have been through, I think it’s high time the universe started looking down on you.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

For the first time since she had known him, Reed Alderon Winchester’s eyes reflected the same shine she had in hers. “You’re going to do great things, Anaya. I can feel it.” He told her softly, “Go to Blue Valley, and make Lacy and I proud, baby sister.”

The Lyken Princess could feel this painful lump in her throat, she did her best to swallow it down even as she wrapped her arms around him in a violent hug. “You have my word, brother… I won’t let you down.”