Finding Aria Cole

Chapter 1: The Rejection

Mate!

One word, one word that could either make or break me; one word that indicated my true love, my partner, my protector, my savior.

From the moment Ethan's eyes locked with mine, I knew. I knew my moment had come.

The very moment I had prayed for, hoped for and wished for had arrived, I could tell by the nudge I felt in my chest, the silent whispers of my wolf as she leaped in excitement. I could feel her joy spreading and gripping as she urged me on to meet him, hold him, and love him. I could feel the bound pulsing with life so warm and welcoming. I could feel all of that along with Ethan’s look of disgust in his icy blue gaze. I could feel what was coming before he even opened his mouth and that very feeling kept me rooted in my tracks, the fragile hope I’d clung to since the moment my wolf whispered the truth in my mind, shattering with every passing second.

I stood there, frozen in place, my heart thumping so hard I thought it would explode in my chest. The crowded room fading into nothing around us, my vision narrowing until all I could see was him. Ethan Blackwood, The pride of the pack, loved by some, envied by all. The future Alpha and my mate.

But—I wasn’t his.

My mouth dried as the air in the room thickened, suffocating me. My words lodged deep in my throat like stones trying to find passage. I had dreamt of this moment so much—how it would feel to finally be accepted by someone who mattered. By someone who was destined for me. Only, this wasn’t that moment. This was my nightmare coming to life.

I could see it in the hard set of his jaw, the way his lips curled back, like the mere thought of being tied to me repulsed him.

And I understood. Like piercing shards of glass to my sides, I understood. I was nothing. A reject. The lowest of the low. Weak. Powerless. Plain.

He didn’t have to say it, because deep down I knew my place as much as he did.

But he said it anyway. He said it in the hard set of his jaws as he looked upon me, said it in the icy chill that ran through our bound that once ran warm, he said it in the dead set of his eyes devoid of love, empathy or regret. He said it in his hold of Stacy Thomson, the beta's daughter, as he claimed her to be his before everyone. He said it in all the ways his words couldn’t and they hurt.

He had made his choice and I wasn’t the one he picked.

"I, Ethan Blackwood, reject you, Aria Cole, as my mate. You are unworthy and unfit to be called Luna.

Each word was a blow to my chest, harder than any punch or claw I had ever received. I stood there; watching as my mate marked Stacy, claiming her to be his, not even able to respond. My wolf whimpered inside me, a low, pitiful sound that echoed the growing emptiness in my chest. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, a reflexive motion; to see if I could hold myself together by sheer will alone.

The room erupts into murmurs, dragging me back to reality, the faded nothings vanishing with the reality of what just happened and where it took place. The whispers of pity and amusement filled the room. To them, this was just another spectacle. A weakling, an Omega rejected by the future Alpha. Such a story for such a show I was just another story for them to tell and tell they will. I felt my throat tighten, my very being threatening to crumble but I wouldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of him. Not in front of all of them.

Ethan’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t hesitate. He just turned his back to me, his broad shoulders blocking me from his world entirely, and walked away. Just like that. Like I was nothing.

I wanted to run, to hide, to disappear. But my legs were rooted to the spot, shaking beneath the weight of rejection, humiliation curling hot and angry in my veins.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring at the place where he’d disappeared into the crowd. Minutes? Hours? Time meant nothing. I was hollow. The bond that had started to form between us was severed, ripped away before it even had a chance to grow.

But then, I heard him again. His voice. Low. Cold.

“Don’t take this personally, Aria. It was never going to work. I need someone strong by my side. Someone worthy.”

I didn’t turn to look at him. I didn’t need to. His words dug deep enough. They sliced through whatever was left of me. Someone worthy. That wasn’t me. It never had been.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I swallowed it back, choking on the taste of defeat. I should’ve known better. What had I expected? That the future Alpha of the Blackwood pack would accept a broken Omega as his mate? My fingers curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms until they bled.

I wasn’t worthy.

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside. But the pain didn’t ease. It twisted tighter and tighter, my wolf howling in agony. This was more than just rejection—it was the death of a dream. The death of something I had no choice in. And yet, it still felt like I was losing everything.

The crowd began to disperse, their attention now pulled elsewhere, leaving me standing there in the middle of the empty hall. Alone. Again.

I finally let myself breathe a little my chest aching from the pressure. My legs trembled, threatening to give out beneath me. But I wouldn’t fall. Not yet. Not here.

I had to get out.

I turned, walking towards the doors at the far end of the room, each step heavier than the last. The air outside was cold, the night wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket. The moon hung high in the sky, full and bright, mocking me with its beauty.

I couldn’t shift. Not tonight. My wolf was too weak, too broken from the rejection to take over.

I was trapped in my human skin, feeling every ounce of the pain coursing through me. It was like a fire burning in my chest, licking at my insides, eating me alive from the inside out.

I stumbled into the woods, far enough from the pack house that I couldn’t hear their laughter anymore. Far enough that no one would find me. I collapsed against a tree, the rough bark biting into my back as I slid down to the ground.

The tears finally came, hot and fast, streaming down my cheeks as I buried my face in my hands. I let out a choked sob, my body shaking with the force of it.

Why? Why had the Moon Goddess done this? Why pair me with someone who would never want me? Someone who saw me as weak and pathetic?

I wasn’t strong. I wasn’t powerful.

I was an Omega.

But I was also Aria Cole.

This pain would fade. The rejection would heal. And I would survive.

I always survived.

But right now, I just needed to breathe. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness of the night swallow me whole.

Tomorrow, I will figure it out.

Tomorrow, I will rise from the ashes.

But tonight, I will mourn.