REJECTED BY MY MATE, FATED TO HIS RIVAL.

chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Him.

Blossom.

“What do you want, Vanessa?” The question slipped out the moment she stepped closer, my voice sharper than I intended, edged with exhaustion and something dangerously close to anger.

My fingers moved instinctively, quickly sliding the card beneath the thin hospital blanket, hiding it from view before her eyes could catch even a glimpse of it.

Her presence alone made the air feel heavier.

“What I want…,” she began, her tone calm but firm, her face completely devoid of warmth, “....is for you to stay clear away from Millien, Blossom.”

I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself, the motion slow, tired, but filled with quiet defiance. Of course. Of course that was what she came for. Vanessa was nothing if not predictable.

A bitter scoff rose in my chest.

She knew.

She knew very well that Millien hadn’t rejected me…not officially. The bond still existed, no matter how much he despised me. I was still his mate, whether he liked it or not. And hearing her say those words so boldly, as if she had already claimed what wasn’t entirely hers…it stung more than I wanted to admit and it angered me.

“Vanessa,” I said, my voice lower now, steadier despite the storm brewing inside me, “why are you after my life?”

The question hung between us, heavy with something deeper than curiosity. Because I truly didn’t understand. I had never done anything to her, at least, nothing I could remember. Yet her hatred for me ran deep, far deeper than simple jealousy.

For a split second, she said nothing, then she chuckled. The sound was soft… almost musical but there was something twisted beneath it.

“I’m not, darling,” she replied smoothly, tilting her head slightly as her lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s just that no one would notice me unless you are in pain.”

My breath hitched.

Her smile deepened, darker this time, more revealing.

“You are like a stepping stone to moonlight.”

The words settled over me slowly, chilling me from the inside out.

“Psycho,” I muttered under my breath, unable to hold it back.

But instead of being offended, she laughed. A light, amused laugh, like I had just told her something entertaining rather than insulting.

And then…the door opened. The sound was sudden, cutting through the tension like a knife.

Lurgard stepped inside.

What happened next unfolded so quickly, so unexpectedly, that I barely had time to process it.

One moment, Vanessa was standing in front of me.

The next…her hand grabbed mine, her grip was tight, deliberate, and before I could react, she pulled me forward slightly and then…she let go.

Her body dropped to the floor.

“Blossom, how could you?!” Lurgard’s voice thundered instantly, filled with outrage as he rushed toward her, panic and anger flashing across his face. He knelt beside her, helping her up carefully, his attention completely fixed on her.

And as she leaned into him…she looked at me. A smug smile spread across her lips, quick and triumphant, gone almost as soon as it appeared.

My stomach dropped.

Lurgard didn’t even hesitate, he didn’t question.

His hand shot toward me, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking hard. Pain exploded through my scalp, sharp and immediate, forcing a gasp out of me as my head was pulled back.

“Don’t be too hard on Blossom, Lurgard…” Vanessa’s voice came softly, fragile now, as if she was the one in pain.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, glistening under the light, her entire expression transformed into one of pure innocence.

“I had only come to apologize to her,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly, “that I really didn’t mean to scream then and cause her to be humiliated.”

Such an actress!

Every word, every tear, it was all perfectly crafted and it worked.

It always did.

For a moment, Lurgard’s grip tightened… then suddenly, he released my hair just like that, as if her words alone were enough to decide everything.

I winced, as the pain didn’t leave with his touch, it lingered, throbbing across my scalp, spreading downward in waves that made my vision blur for a second. My fingers twitched weakly at my sides, but I didn’t dare lift them.

“Your heart is just so evil, Blossom. I really can’t stand you anymore.”

Lurgard’s words hit harder than his hand ever could. Each syllable was laced with disgust, heavy and suffocating, like he truly meant every bit of it. My chest tightened, but I kept my head lowered, forcing myself into stillness.

“Vanessa saw the need to apologize to you, even though you were wrong…but you still…” His voice trailed off, but the anger didn’t. I could hear it in the way he clenched his fists, the tension in his breathing, the restraint in his posture.

I didn’t need him to finish the sentence.

I already knew what he believed.

He turned toward Vanessa almost instantly, his tone shifting as if a switch had been flipped. “Princess,” he said, softer now, more careful, “I think we should get back home.”

“No, Lurgard,” Vanessa replied gently, her voice carrying that same false warmth that made my skin crawl. “You can go ahead. I need to look after Blossom. No one has looked after her since she was brought here by the guards.”

For a brief moment, just a fleeting second, a dull ache spread across my chest but I masked it, pushing it down before it could take root.

“No way!” Lurgard snapped immediately, his voice firm and unyielding. “Who knows what she would do to you next? She is an ungrateful b***h!”

The words stung, but I stayed silent.

“But…” Vanessa tried again, her tone hesitant, as though she truly wanted to argue.

“Vanessa… we are leaving.” His voice left no room for debate this time.

I could hear movement, fabric shifting, footsteps turning. He must have taken her hand, guiding her toward the door. And for a moment, I thought that was it, that they would just leave.

But then…he stopped right at the door.

The silence stretched for a brief second, thick and heavy, before his voice came again, lower this time, colder.

“Most times… I actually wish you were never my sister.”

Something inside me broke completely.

The words didn’t just hurt, they shattered something deep within me, something I didn’t even realize I was still holding onto.

My breath caught in my throat as the sound of the door opening echoed faintly, followed by the soft click of it shutting behind them.

And just like that…they were gone.

The room fell into silence.

The tears I had been fighting so desperately to hold back slipped free instantly, trailing down my cheeks without restraint. My body trembled slightly as I lay there, staring blankly ahead, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me all at once.

I was tired…fed up with the pain, the accusations, the betrayal and for the first time, a thought crept into my mind, quiet but persistent.

Maybe…Maybe I should accept his help.

Because the people who were supposed to protect me… the ones who should have stood by me…were the very ones breaking me.

Slowly, I reached beneath the blanket and pulled out the card, my fingers trembling slightly as I brought it into view. My eyes fixed on the name written across it.

Ryder Stormborn.

My breath hitched.

A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it as recognition struck instantly, sending a jolt through me.

Him.

He was our pack’s greatest rival.

Millien’s sworn enemy.

No wonder he knew my name.

But that only made things worse.

Why would he offer to help me?

My fingers tightened around the card as unease settled deep in my chest.

Was this… some kind of trap?

Or something far more dangerous?