The Rejected Mate

CHAPTER TWO

“So, I’m rejecting you.” He declared.

My heart plummets as I heard that and fear gripped me. Never for once had I imagine that I will get reject by my mate after having a night stand with him.

He can't be serious about that! He must definitely be joking!

"W-what do you mean? We're mates, Damon.” I uttered, in a cracking voice. “ And do..do you even know how long I've waited for this day? Waited to find my mate? How could you say that so easily?” Tears threaten to spill as I don't think I can bear being rejected by him.

“ Am doing this for the pack and I won't let anything ruin the future of my pack.” he said in a firm tone and my body trembled as I realised that he had made up his mind.

But this is just so wrong…so wrong. Who reject mate after spending night with them?

“ Do you think it's easy to reject your mate? The Moon Goddess chose us for each other, why will you go against her?! Aren't you afraid of her wrath?”

Damon laughs bitterly as I say that, his laughter echoing across the room. "I'm sure the Moon Goddess must have made a mistake when she matched us….. definitely a mistake. Because you're too weak to be my Luna, Anita... too weak. The pack needs a Luna who will secure its future and give a strong heir. But you... you just can't provide that." He says, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Tears well up in my eyes as each cruel word pierces my heart like a dagger.

"But I can be strong, Damon. I know I’m not like the others, but—"

"No!" he cuts me off harshly. "You can’t, and you never will be! You’ve always been the weakest link in this pack, and for nine years since your turning ceremony, nothing has changed. Did you really think one night together would change that?"

His words cut deep, reopening old wounds. He’s just like the others who had always insulted me. I thought my mate would be different, that everything would change when I found him. But now, I wish I never scented him last night. I wish I had never gone to the ball.

I wish I could go back and change everything as this pain is too much. I can’t bear him rejecting me as he was my last hope to free myself from this miseries. Even my own father can’t bear to look at me most days, blaming me for my mother’s death during childbirth. My stepmother and stepsister make sure I never forget my place—at the bottom. And now this?

"Please, Damon," I whisper, wrapping the duvet around me. I quickly stand up from the bed, reaching out to him. "Give me a chance. I can prove myself worthy of being your Luna."

I try to touch him but he steps back, avoiding my hand. "It’s not just about being worthy, Anita. It’s about what’s best for the pack. And you’re not it."

“So, I, Damon Thorne reject you, Anita Rivers, as my mate,” he says with finality, digging out his claws and scratching his palm, letting his blood fall to the ground between us.

This is how we sever connections with family or someone close to us, and he just severed ours. If he had marked me, the process would have been more painful, as we would have to totally unlinked from each other mind and soul.

With that, Damon walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my shattered dreams and I slump to the ground with tears streaming down my face.

********

For three long days, I drift through life in a haze, trapped between tears and futile attempts to convince myself that Damon just needs time—time to accept our mate bond, to see that I can be the Luna he needs.

The more I think about it, the more I cling to the hope that his choice isn’t easy, that he just needs to weigh the decision carefully. By the third evening, I almost believe it—until everything comes crashing down.

"Lyra Creed will be my mate and the future Luna of Silver Moon Pack." Damon's voice rings out across the hall, each word striking me like a physical blow.

It feels as though the ground has vanished beneath my feet. I stare at him, standing so proudly on the platform, his gaze deliberately avoiding mine as if I am nothing more than a stranger and my fragile heart shatters, each piece slicing through me with unbearable pain.

How can he do this to me? How can he choose Lyra—Lyra, who is nothing but pretense, who has made my life a living hell alongside my stepsisters?

As if summoned by my despair, Lyra struts onto the stage, her smirk was as sharp as a blade. She slips her hand into Damon's outstretched one, and the hall erupts into applause and cheers, their congratulations filling the air like poison.

No one questions whether they are true mates. No one cares. It’s as if the bond that is supposed to connect us doesn’t exist.

“Isn't this wonderful news?” Dianna, my step sister’s sickly-sweet voice drips with sarcasm as she appears beside me. “Lyra will make such a strong Luna. Unlike some people we know.” Her gaze is laced with disdain as she glances at me, a cruel smirk playing on her lips.

They all know. They know I’m supposed to be the one by Damon's side, but they don’t care. My heart pounds in my chest, and the faces around me begin to blur. Every smile, every cheer feels like a direct attack, mocking my pain. My breathing becomes shallow, each gasp harder to draw in as their whispers turn into a cacophony of scorn.

I look up at Damon, my eyes silently pleading with him to stop this, to tell them all it’s a mistake. But he doesn’t meet my gaze. His arm slides around Lyra's waist, pulling her closer, and the final piece of my heart shatters.

Something inside me snaps, and I turn and flee, pushing through the crowd as their laughter follows me like a nightmare. I don’t stop until I reach the sanctuary of my small, barren room in my father's house. Slamming the door behind me, I collapse against it, sliding down to the floor as I sobs heavily. I bury my face in my hands and hot tears stream down my cheeks.

This can’t be real. It has to be a nightmare.

But the sounds of celebration drifting in through the window are all too real, a cruel reminder that my mate has chosen someone else.

Inside me, Ayla whimpers in pain, the bond we share with Damon now a source of agony. She has been silent since he rejected us, the pain was too great for either of us to bear.

I can't stay here any longer, not when every second feels like a knife twisting in my chest. If I stay, it will be the death of me. I force myself to stand, my legs trembling beneath me, and with shaking hands, I begin to pack a bag.

I have to leave. There’s nothing left for me here.

As I zip up my duffel bag, a cold sense of finality settles over me. This is it. I’m leaving behind everything I’ve ever known, but it doesn’t matter—no one will care if I disappear.

I creep out of the house, the sounds of laughter and music fading into the background as I leave.

Climbing into my old car—the one thing my mother left me—I start the engine. My vision blurs with tears as I drive toward the pack borders, the weight of rejection and loss pressing down on me, threatening to crush me entirely.

The road ahead is a blur of grief and despair. I cry so hard that I barely see the deer that darts into my path until it’s too late. I swerve to avoid it, my heart pounding, but the car spins out of control and slams into a massive tree.

There’s a brief moment of weightlessness, the sickening crunch of metal, and then… darkness.

As my consciousness slips away, a bitter thought crosses my mind—maybe this is for the best. Maybe the Moon Goddess has decided to end my suffering once and for all.

The last thing I hear before the darkness claims me is the distant howl of a wolf, mournful and alone—just like me.