Rouge

The bottle of the vodka was long gone by the morning, the warm taste still lingering on my tongue. I licked my lips and glanced up at the ceiling. The fan spinning and twirling the air constantly. Wisps of hair once in a while brushing against my nose.

I took a cool deep breath in and stretched a little and took a deep breath in. "They're coming"

Below me, I heard my front door burst open and footsteps booming into my home. One was barely audible and slow, the next was practically sprinting skipping probably three steps at a time.

I wasn't afraid of course, I was just snuggled in my bed with my nice fluffy stuffed animals and cozy pajamas which I changed into some time that night between watching Cinderella and Bambi.

Suddenly the door burst open, the doorknob hitting the hard wall before I looked up to my "unexpected" visitors.

First came Donna, her fluffy hair was just taken out of their flat twist making her hair look beautiful and twirly, "Naomi, we missed you. You didn't run with us and I really wanted to be with you and you weren't there with me even though my mate was there I wanted to see you the most."

Donna could talk a mile a minute and her excitement and energy never seemed to end. She jumped on my bed and wrapped her caramel arms around me. Did I mention a cuddle bug no matter the situation?

Her hair was tickling my nose as she cuddled close to me, her hair smelled really good like peaches and cantaloupe I thought of it like her hair was giving me kisses (which is kinda odd to think about). "Sorry Donna I didn't want to go this time"

I looked over at Jeremy in the doorway his arms crossed tightly against his chest and his face empty of any emotions. "Don't be mad Jeremy. It's only a run and I had a run before it doesn't really matter."

He watched me with a blank face rolling his eyes. To be honest, anger didn't suit him, he's usually such a happy guy. He barely ever gets mad and when he does he's a baby.

He stood there and crossing his arms not saying anything."Naomi,you skipped out again do you know how bad that is."

I sighed and rolled my eyes," The orange moon run isn't a rare event you know, and I had a run before night fell. Why would the alpha ban us from shifting a week before the run? It's so dumb my fox was practically running laps in my head."

He stared at me and growled low, "You're an idiot"

"And you're a brown nose"

"Am not!!"

To be honest he really was. He followed the alpha around like a lap dog and seeing them together annoyed the crap out of me.

Donna wiggled herself in my blankets and cuddled with my stuffed dragon whom I called Jojo until she spoke. "You are the only fox in the pack, a lot of people would notice you didn't go to the event especially because you are also one of the fastest females here." Jeremy glared at her as she held Jojo tighter to her chest. "Most people don't come to the events anyway. They go in moderation. It's like the amount of people who haven't gone to Disneyland before. Even if you don't go, it doesn't mean you've never had a childhood. It just means that you've never gone to Disneyland"

Jeremy growled low and watched her and I smiled knowing how Donna was on my side. "She has a point though don't you think"

He looked at me and snarled," you have to participate in festivities to be part of this pack. You don't have to be in the pack."

Everyone went quiet and the room was practically thick with an awkwardness in the air. "Is that how you feel Jeremy?" I asked my voice sounding a little weak my head slightly throbbing.

Jeremy was leaned against the wall, his presents were like a shadow in the room till now his grey eyes seemed far away from all of us thought he was still in the room. He seemed so lost in thought. He wasn't like a super buff dude but from the sleeve of his shirt, I could see he was tense or maybe flexing?

He was quiet for a little bit and sighed, " Naomi you're 22 now, Not only are you mateless but you have lost interest to find your mate. I was talking with the Alpha Peters last night-"

"Alpha Peters? Last night you were talking to him about what?" I couldn't help but interrupt I know I'm not the most amazing person in the world but what could y'all possibly be talking about me for?"

He sighed his shoulders relaxing some, he pushed himself off the wall and sat on the side of the bed next to Donna's leg. The tension in the room was high Jere doesn't talk about what the alpha says nor conversations that they've had before. It's against the code of being the Alpha's Officer not that it's possible for the Alpha to know automatically that he said something against him or whatnot. "Naomi, He said a Mateless fox has no use for this pack"

Could it be possible for the air in the room to get any thicker? My mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out, I couldn't speak. Everyone's eyes were on me, the room was even getting smaller. In the corner of my eye, I saw Donna get up as she was arguing with Jeremy but it was all muffled like they were slowly fading out of my presence. "I've been in this pack for all my life, It's alive ever known, how could this happen now? I was in school, I was even getting my healers degree in school I was becoming useful for the pack.

"....Naomi?...."

How could I be useless for the pack? I know foxes aren't really pack animals they are usually seen as rouges and back in middle school, we talked about the fox hunts that happened in the past which is why there aren't too many of us foxes.

"...Naomi..."

I was snapped back to reality by Donna shaking my shoulders. I looked up at her and met with her worried hazel eyes. I sighed a and pushed her off of me gently before glancing over at Jeremy who was now sitting on his butt in front of the bed his face was red on only one side which looked to be in a handprinted shape.

I swung my legs over the bed and stood over Jeremy which made him quickly stand up hovering over me he was a few inches taller than me but it never bothered me to be around taller people I mean I climb the counters to reach the cereal every morning.

I felt my eyes slit slightly and change to my foxes red shade and growled low, " You know what? You and the alpha can kiss my ass. Y'all couldn't wait till I actually got out of school! I'm almost done with my healers school yknow?!"

Jeremy growled back at me, I'm the alphas right hand, his sword-

"So you jerk him off when his actual hand is broken. woopie for you!"

There was a pause in the room and Jeremy's eyes were slowly changing to a dark shade from the original blue.

"Take that back", his voice echoed around my room,he was practically shaking at this point his anger filling the room

"No, I will not! Get the hell outta the house!"

"It's technically the alphas house and it's pronounced 'out of' dumbass!"

"I'm sorry did I offend you, pretty boy? The alpha didn't pay for my house does he pay the bills?! I don't think so! He hasn't helped me since I got out of the orphanage and even in the orphanage he never helped" I shoved him, not finding it in me to calm down

"Because no one wanted a fox child and neither does this pack"

The room was still again his words ringing in my head. I searched his eyes and he searched mine. I was trying to find regret. I was trying to find a joke. I couldn't find anything. He was serious.

I shoved him aside and jogged down the stairs, in the hall, and out the door. There were some people outside staring who must've heard the commotion all wide-eyed and watching me. They were whispering I don't know what but my ears were pounding I was so enraged. Shoving through the mini crowd avoiding the eyes and the shame that they carried in them.

Upon reaching a clearing I ran, I heard Donna say something but it doesn't matter what exactly. I tore through my clothes and shifted not only leaving shreds of my clothes behind but my pack. My new life was just around the corner.