“I REJECT YOU”
“I reject you as my mate.”
Aurelia would’ve taken a hundred slaps over those words. She couldn’t breathe. The hall, crammed with the entire pack, went dead silent. All those eyes—hundreds—locked on her. Some with pity, but most didn’t even bother.
There she stood, hands shaking at her sides, staring at Elias. Her mate. The man she’d always wished would see past her lack of a wolf. Past her being the so-called pack burden. Past the whispers.
She’d dreamed about this moment a thousand times, but not like this. She’d pictured him taking her hand, choosing her in front of everyone. She never pictured him ripping out her heart.
And Elias? He looked colder than winter. Stone-faced. Like he hadn’t just split her soul open.
“You heard me,” he said flatly.
She swallowed, trying to anchor herself. “Why?”
A few people snickered. Elias just looked at her, almost bored. “I’m not spending my life with someone who doesn’t even have a wolf.”
A low rumble moved through the crowd, and then the laughter started. At first just one person, then another until it felt like the walls themselves were mocking her.
Her chest squeezed tight. She wanted out. She wanted to scream, punch something, maybe just crumble then and there. But she wouldn’t—not in front of them, never for Elias, Serena, or anyone else.
Instead, Aurelia lifted her chin, dragging the words out past the ache in her throat. “If being wolfless makes me so beneath you, you could've rejected me in private.”
Elias’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You should be grateful I’m giving you a chance to accept your place.”
“My place?” the words trembled, almost a laugh. “Beneath you?”
Serena stepped up, looking beautiful and untouchable—everything Aurelia wasn’t. Her hair was perfect, her smile a vicious s***h. “Don’t make this worse, Aurelia.”
Serena curled her fingers around Elias’s hand and leaned against him—salt in an open wound. “Elias wants someone who actually belongs at his side.”
The laughter rose again. Aurelia’s nails dug hard into her palms. Don’t cry. Don’t give them what they want.
Elias turned away. “It’s done.”
And that was that. Years of hoping vanished between heartbeats. She took a slow breath, trying to steady herself.
“Fine.”
Elias paused.
Aurelia made herself look straight at him, just once more. “I accept your rejection.”
The words tasted like blood.
Then—BOOM.
The doors of the pack hall flew open so hard everyone jumped. Cold air roared through the room. The laughter died off instantly.
All eyes shifted to the doorway. A man walked in—tall, broad, dressed in black, carrying a sort of power that made space shrink around him. Two guards followed, but nobody cared about them. He was all anyone could look at.
The Alpha hurried forward, respectful and terrified all at once. “Your Majesty.”
Aurelia’s heart stuttered. The Lycan King. Draven. She’d only heard stories—nightmares, really. Merciless. King of kings. The kind who crushed rebellions and made even Alphas shake.
Except none of the stories did him justice. He didn’t just radiate threat—he froze the room with one glance.
He didn’t bother with anyone, just swept his gaze around until…he found her.
And then, everything about him changed. His face went blank, then his eyes went a little wide. He stared at Aurelia like she was the only real thing in the world.
So quietly only the closest few could hear, he said, “Aurelia?”
She frowned. How did he know her name?
Draven took a step toward her. Aurelia stepped back without thinking. He watched her, something wild flitting through his expression—shock, relief, maybe pain. Like seeing her was some fever dream he’d been hoping for.
But she didn’t know him. At least, she didn’t think she did.
Draven stopped, just a few feet away. “Where have you been?”
Confused, Aurelia frowned. “What?”
He tensed, glancing at Elias, then Serena, then back to Aurelia. “What happened?”
Silence hung heavy. At last, Elias cleared his throat, trying to sound calm. “She is my—”
Draven snapped his gaze at him. “Was.”
The single word shut Elias up.
He looked at Aurelia again. “You were rejected?”
His voice sounded almost angry, and it threw her. She nodded. “Yes.”
“By him?”
“Yes.”
Something dangerous shifted in Draven’s eyes as he stared at Elias. “You rejected your mate?”
Elias straightened, defensive. “She is wolfless.”
Draven let that hang a second. “And?”
“She can’t give me the strength I need.”
Aurelia winced. Something inside her gave way, just a little more.
Draven turned to her, eyes holding hers for a long moment. Then he moved closer. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding.
He stopped right in front of her, towering. She had to tilt her chin just to meet his eyes. He smelled like rain, and cedar, and something strange—something that tugged at a memory.
He said, soft but clear, “Look at me.”
She did.
Their eyes locked, and suddenly everything twisted inside her—sharp pain, memories not quite there. A dark room. Laughter. Warm hands holding hers. Then nothing.
Aurelia staggered back. Draven reached out, but she jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”
He froze, real hurt flickering across his face. Her reaction hit somewhere deep, and she felt that, too—pain she couldn’t name.
Draven slowly let his hand fall. Then, for the whole hall to hear, he said, “She is my mate.”
Stunned silence—solid, heavy. Even Serena lost her smile.
Aurelia stared at him. “No.”
Draven didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
“I don’t know you,” she insisted.
A shadow crossed his face. “You will.”
She shook her head hard. “No. Whatever this is, I don’t want it.”
Draven’s jaw clenched. He moved closer still, and for a moment a sadness flickered in his eyes before he masked it again. He leaned down, voice meant only for her.
“That’s what scares me.”
