The Grateful Rejection novel Chapter 30

Nora's POV

I was surrounded by dark, "Hello?" I called out walking aimlessly, "Hello?? Is anybody here?" I asked. My heart beat picked up it's pace when I heard a voice groaning in pain, "Who is there?" I asked as I cautiously approached to the source of the sound.

"Nora? Nora, help! Help me Nora!" Dad Earl's voice called out. I started running towards dad, "Dad!! What happened?" I cried, dad was tied to a tree all bloodied. I could clearly see him but the faster I ran the further he went.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT NORA! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED US!!" He yelled making me stop in my tracks, "Wh-what are you talking about?" I gasp in horror when I looked closely.

Everyone was dead, they all were hanging from the tree branches with a rope wrapped around their neck. Papa Amell, mom, Arora, Ariana, Andrew, Jacob, Stephan, Oliver, Clark, Gina, my little Lilly and Adrian and Sebastian.

Their place blue faces and bloodied body showed the struggle they had, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!! YOU KILLED THEM ALL!!" he shouted crying at me.

"I-I didn't do anything dad!! I DIDN'T KILL THEM!!" I shouted collapsing on the ground.

"YOU MURDERER!! YOU KILLED THEM, YOU KILLED YOUR OWN FAMILY!! YOU'RE A FUCKING HEX, YOU DESTROY EVERYONE!" He yelled as his head blasted open. A shrilling scream automatically left my mouth.

"Hey! Hey Nora! You okay baby?" Sebastian's voice called out, my eyes shot open and Sebastian's worried face came to my view , "You're okay. You're okay. You're okay. You're okay" I cried feeling his warm skin under my fingertips and kissed his lips.

"Yes I am fine love. It was just a dream, I am alright!" He said and hugged me, rocking me in his arms, "It's okay babe, it was all just a dream" he said softly.

For weeks I have been having such nightmares. For weeks I have been seeing my family die in various ways. Paranoia is not enough to determine my mental state. This is not right, something is wrong very wrong. From the time I got to know about this woman, I feel like my fear has taken a big toll on me.

Sebastian started humming a song to me and before I know it, I was deep asleep.

The next morning I woke up to mom's famous cinnamon rolls, after getting freshened up I headed downstairs, "Morning sweetie" mom greeted me and passed a cup of tea, "Morning mom, where is everyone?" I asked groggily.

"Well your brothers are with their mates. Ariana is with Edmund and Arora is.. somehwere. Your dad went to the council, he was called there and your Erastis has gone to his pack." She let out a breath making me chuckle, "So it's just you and me?" I asked. Mom put down her spatula, "You say like it's a bad thing." She teasingly accused, "Now who will think about this old woman? Your old mumma is all alone now" she exasperated.

"Far from being alone mumma. You'd drag us by our ears anytime of the year" I said going around the table and side hugging her. She awed and hugged me back, "Of course, even when your kids are all grown up with their mates, I'd drag you by your ears" she said, "Now before getting too mushy, how are you feeling this morning? Any pains or anything?" She added. I pulled out the cinnamon roll from the tray and put it on the plate, "Not that much, just the baby moving around and his kicks here and there." I shrug not making eye contact, her question reminded me of my dream last night.

I sat down on the sofa with my huge belly and placed the plate on top of my belly, "Okay then, it's all good! The due date is very near so whenever you feel any kind of pain you tell me" she said sitting down beside me.

After Justin's funeral, my behavior had changed drastically, I was always looking over my shoulder. Sebastian thought it would be better if I stay at my mom's untill the baby is born.

So here I am at Mom's house.

"So you excited for The Blood Hunt?" She asks looking at the TV, "That's like a month away" I say and start chewing on the roll.

"But still! Are you excited?" She asks with a smile. A crocked smile pasted on my face, "Yes i am. But I am more interested in what he has in mind for me. I was thinking of hunting him a rhinoceros" I smirked thinking about it.

Mom looked at me flabbergast, "Rhino? Wow.. he has a big competition to compete against. He told me he was going to hunt you a bear" she snickered and I joined her, "You better not tell him, Maa" I warned to which she put her hands in surrender, "My mouth's sealed" she zipped her lips making me chuckle.

The Blood Hunt is a ritual in the lycan kingdom, it's kind of like marriage in human world but not exactly. During the early times, Erastis didn't use to mark each other or mate with each other as soon as they met, the way it happens now. They had a ritual to ensure their Erastis that they will be a provider for them even in the worst scenario. Both there lycans or any other supernatural who was mated to a lycan had to perform this under the Blood Moon (red moon). They were required to hunt down any prey their Erastis wishes of, usually the lycans hunt big bears, wolves or lion and tigers. If the Erastis refuses the hunt, they need to hunt more and more untill the Erastis is satisfied. Elders used to believe that if one can satisfy a lycans hunger then he/she can satisfy their Erastis in every way possible. And that is why this ritual is called the Blood Hunt.

"I am gonna shower now" I say and go to my room.

As I stepped in the shower, I looked down at my huge belly, I felt the baby's kick making me jerk, "Calm down there, love" I say rubbing the area, "You are a little naughty today" I cooed feeling his head under my palms. My lycan purred in awe of our son. Yes we are having a son, we didn't what to know the gender but Arora felt him when he was a month old and started shopping for boys clothes, didn't took an Einstein to figure that out.

After I got dressed up I checked my phone, there were two messages, one from Arora and the other from Sebastian. I opened Seb's message, he was apologizing for not being there in the morning, Henry and Arora finally talked after months and that too led to a fight. My heart started hammering as I opened Arora's text, she asked me to meet her by the lakeside near mom's. I replied to both of them and headed to meet Arora.

I walked towards the lake where I saw Arora sitting on the bench. I quietly sat next to her without saying anything, her face was red and puffy with tear strains.