‘I, Hudson Shadow of the Shadow Rock pack, reject you, Quinn Redwood as my mate and Luna.’
‘You can’t reject me, the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes’
‘Well, she did this time’
‘Are you sure? You want to break our bond?’
‘So? Are you sure?’ Quinn’s voice asked, breaking through the fog.
Hudson flinched as his eyes flew open, staring around himself in disbelief.
‘Hudson?’ the she wolf in front of him reached out a hand but stopped short of touching him as he met her gaze in panic.
‘NO!’ he yelled, stumbling away from her, ‘no no no no, you can’t be here, this can’t be happening, not again!’
Not waiting for her response, he rushed past her, dragging out his keys and pressing the lock just as he reached his car. Ripping open the door, he threw himself inside, slamming the door and starting the engine. Slamming his foot to the floor, Hudson wheel span for a second before his tyres found purchase and he lurched out of his space, heading toward the exit and the main road.
Driving aimlessly, he shook his head, talking to himself, ‘I can’t be back here again, why do I keep waking up here?’ He glanced up at the sky through the windscreen, ‘what do you want Goddess?’ he yelled, ‘what do I have to do? Why do you keep taking me back?’
Receiving no answer, he growled to himself, pulling over to the side of the road in front of a small family run tearoom.
Jumping out, he headed through the door, the tiny bell screwed to the doorframe tinkling as he entered.
Taking a seat at the back, his knee thrummed against the underside of the table as he dragged his fingers through his hair in agitation.
‘This can’t be happening’ he muttered, staring around the kitchy space filled with round tables covered in linen tablecloths, mismatched chairs pushed underneath.
‘What can I get you hun?’ The voice beside him made him jump, yelping in shock as he spun to face the motherly woman stood beside him, watching him worriedly.
‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry’ he rattled, reaching across the table to right the salt and pepper shakers that he had upturned when he bumped the table in his fright.
‘Don’t you worry about a thing’ the woman replied, pushing a strand of her greying hair behind her ear, ‘I should have announced myself, didn’t mean to scare you, young man.’
Nodding, Hudson swallowed, sinking tensely into the chair, tapping the tips of his fingers on the table top.
‘So, you want a drink?’ the woman continued hesitantly.
The Alpha nodded quickly, ‘yeah, um, coffee . . please’ he rushed out.
The waitress jotted his request down before glancing at him again, ‘anything to eat?’ she asked.
Hudson let out a shuddering breath, ‘yeah, anything you want, you choose’ he replied, just wanting her to leave.
Studying him carefully, the woman gave him a small smile and backed away, hurrying behind the counter to make his drink.
Returning a couple of minutes later, she placed a coffee pot and cup on the table before sliding a scone with cream and jam in front of him.
‘You looked like you could use something sweet’ she said before moving away again.
Reaching out with shaky hands, Hudson grabbed some creamer and sugar sachets. Pouring a few of the creamers into his coffee he ripped open a sugar and emptied it over the cup.
‘This isn’t happening’ he muttered to himself again, ‘maybe I’m having a nervous breakdown, Harvey is projecting the rejection on me.’
In the back of his mind he heard Harvey growl, ‘you rejected mate, you are an idiot’ he huffed before cutting the connection again, blocking his human out.
Picking up the cup, he took a sip before grimacing and looking down at the table where six empty sugar sachets littered the tablecloth.
Placing it back down, he sighed, running over his memories, flinching at the image of his mate and pack dead around him. His thoughts were interrupted by his thigh vibrating, pulling out his phone he found Garrett’s name on his screen. Opening the lock screen, he scanned the message.
‘Dude where are you? No one’s seen you since the beginning of school.’
Hudson swallowed down a maniacal laugh, yeah, that’s what he had said the last time as well.
‘Not feeling well, taking the day off’ he shot back quickly.
‘Want company? School is lame’ came the Beta’s reply.
The Alpha hesitated, did he want company? ‘Just the two of us?’ he replied cautiously.
‘Well unless you have two sexy girls there, then yeah’ came back with a laughing emoji.
Stilling his shaking hands, he sent his best friend his location, sitting back and sipping on the unbearably sweet coffee as he waited for him to arrive.
The door opened fifteen minutes later, Garrett backing into the tearoom as he waved to someone over his shoulder.
Turning around, his gaze flickered around the room until they found the Alpha and he headed toward him.
Taking a seat opposite, he nodded sagely, ‘you are right’ he remarked, ‘you look like shit.’
Ignoring his best friend’s observation, he ripped a small chunk off the scone in front of him just to have something to occupy his hands. ‘How did you get here so fast?’ he muttered.
Garrett grinned, ‘got one of the warriors to drop me down, I’ll need to stop getting lifts with you if you are gonna bail on me again’ he teased.
Hudson gave him a weak smile, curling in on himself when the waitress returned, training her attention on Garrett.
‘Can I get you anything?’ she asked, her gaze flickering to Hudson warily.
Garrett smiled widely at her, in the disarming way that got most she wolves into his bed. ‘I would love a chocolate milkshake’ he replied smoothly, ‘and if you have cheesecake, I’ll take a slice of that as well.’
The woman smiled down at him, relaxing slightly, ‘it’s summer fruit cheesecake, is that OK?’ she asked.
The Beta nodded, winking at her, ‘sounds like it’ll be a party in my mouth, bring on the flavour.’
Giggling like a school girl, the older woman waved her notepad at him, ‘you are a right charmer aren’t you.’
Garrett laughed as she shook her head and hurried away to get his order.
Turning back to his best friend, the Beta’s face fell as he took in the state of his Alpha. ‘Seriously dude, you look like shit’ he muttered, keeping his voice low.
Hudson let out a pained chuckle, ‘yeah, well, things have been a bit weird these last two weeks and I don’t know what to do about it’ he replied in a strained voice.
Frowning, his best friend leaned forward, ‘your dad having problems?’ he asked worriedly, ‘have we got trouble brewing?’
The Alpha huffed out a breath, ‘no . . yes . . I don’t know’ he replied shakily, ‘I don’t think the trouble will stick but then again, the last three times didn’t really go well. Of course, I don’t know whether what happened really happened or if I just imagined it happening . . maybe I need . . ‘ he laughed again, ‘hell, I don’t know what I need.’
Garrett gave him a weird look, only glancing up to nod a thankyou as the waitress placed his order in front of him, before focusing back on his friend.
‘Huds’ he said softly, ‘what’s going on, you sound . . .’
‘Like I’m having a nervous breakdown?’ Hudson offered with a weak smile, ‘because right now I think I might be.’
The Beta ran his finger around the bottom of his milkshake glass, ‘Mate, you need to tell me what’s up because I’ll be honest, you are freaking me out’ he growled.
Hudson glanced up, holding his friend’s worried gaze, ‘you wouldn’t believe me if I told you’ he whispered.
‘You are my Alpha’ Garrett gritted out, ‘I will believe anything you tell me, I’m with you no matter how crazy your story is.’
The Alpha held his haze for a moment, his best friend glaring at him stubbornly until he nodded, swallowing thickly.
‘I’m living the same week over and over again’ he muttered under his breath, but the sharp intake of air across from him told him that his friend had heard him.
‘Like Déjà vu?’ Garrett asked slowly.
‘No, like I wake up back in the same spot I was in a week ago and replay the whole week that I already lived through’ Hudson replied, picking up a napkin and starting to shred it with his fingers.
‘Soooo this conversation has happened before . . ‘Garrett asked, his tone neutral.
‘No, this is new’ Hudson replied, ‘some bits change, but so far the ending has always been the same, everyone dies’ he added with a whisper.
‘Sorry . . repeat that?’ The Beta’s voice went up an octave as he blinked at his friend.
Clearing his throat, Hudson looked up, holding his gaze steady, ‘I’ve relived this week three times before and each time it’s ended with our pack being attacked and us all getting killed’ he repeated.
Garrett leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide, ‘are you sure it wasn’t just . .’
‘A dream?’ Hudson interjected again, finishing the other teenager’s thought, ‘yeah I thought that the first time too, but nope, came home from that stupid party at Clover pack to our pack being massacred for a second time, and then they didn't even wait for the Sunday last time, attacked us on the Friday evening.’
Seeing his friend’s skeptical look, he hurried on, ‘look, I know it sounds ridiculous, hell I’m living it and even I don’t believe it. I can tell you exactly what is going to happen this week. Penelope is going to trick me into taking her to that party at Clover pack again, because her father won’t let her go without protection. If I try to say no, she'll do something to make sure I don't have a choice. When we get there, you are going to dump my ass for a hot blonde which you’ll end up balls deep in by the end of the night.’
‘I like the sound of this week so far’ Garrett replied with a smirk.
‘Yeah well while you are getting your rocks off, I’m fucking some random redhead that I’ve never seen before whilst drunk off my ass. We head back to the pack where a pack I’ve never seen before are killing all our members including my dad!’
He stared at his best friend, the other teenager blinking as he tried to absorb the Alpha’s words, ‘but who would want to attack us, we are allied with all the surrounding packs, we haven’t seen conflict since your great grandfather was Alpha’ he mumbled.
‘You . . you believe me?’ Hudson asked, his voice much needier than he intended.
Garrett nodded firmly, ‘despite it being the craziest story I’ve ever heard’ he replied slowly, ‘yeah, yeah I do. Even if you weren’t my Alpha, I can see it in your eyes Huds, you have the look of a wolf that is terrified and nothing scares you short of a situation you can’t control.’ Picking up his milkshake, he took a sip before asking, ‘do you have any idea why it’s happening?’ he asked.
Hudson shook his head, ‘no, but I always rewind to the moment I rejected my mate’ he replied.