Rejected by the Alpha

The mate bond

"Excuse me?"

Elena stared at him, not sure she had heard him right. His eyes had not left her face, and there was something almost angry in the way he was looking at her, like she had done something wrong just by standing there.

"You heard me," Kade said. He took a step closer, and Elena instinctively took a step back, bumping into the cart behind her. "Answer the question. Who are you."

"I'm Elena," she said quickly. "Elena Hart. I live here, in Silver Moon Pack. I was just bringing supplies to the camp."

Kade did not look satisfied with that answer. His nostrils flared slightly, like he was trying to catch a scent he could not place. Elena had never seen a man look so confused and so furious at the same time.

"That is not what I asked," he said. "I asked why I feel like this."

"I don't know what you mean," Elena said honestly. Her hands were shaking, though she wasn't sure if it was from fear or from something else entirely. There was a strange pull in her chest, like an invisible rope tugging her toward him, and she hated how much she wanted to step closer instead of further away.

Kade's expression darkened. "You don't feel it."

It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.

"Feel what," Elena asked, though some small part of her already knew the answer. She had heard stories about the mate bond her whole life, whispered by older wolves at the fire, described in a hundred different ways. A pull. A spark. A feeling like the whole world had suddenly narrowed down to one single person.

She had never expected to feel it herself. Not with an Alpha. Not with him.

Kade said nothing for a long moment. He looked like a man fighting himself, like part of him wanted to walk away and never think about this again, and another part of him could not make his feet move.

"Forget it," he finally said, his voice hard. "Finish unloading the cart and go back to your pack."

"Wait," Elena said before she could stop herself. "What just happened?"

"Nothing happened." Kade's jaw was tight. "Go back to your pack, Elena."

He said her name like it cost him something to say it. Then he turned and walked away, disappearing between the tents without looking back even once.

Elena stood there for a long moment, her heart still pounding, her whole body still humming with that strange pull she could not explain. She finished unloading the crates in a daze, barely aware of what her hands were doing.

By the time she got back to Silver Moon Pack, the sun was beginning to set, and the whole village was buzzing with excitement. Warriors from Ashwood Pack had arrived to set up camp near the main hall, and pack members were gathered in small groups, whispering and pointing.

"There you are." Mia grabbed Elena's arm the second she saw her. "Where have you been? You missed everything."

"I had to deliver supplies to the eastern camp," Elena said quietly.

"Did you see him? The Alpha?" Mia's eyes were wide with excitement. "Freya has been telling everyone she's going to introduce herself tonight. She practically pushed old Tomas into the mud trying to get to the front of the crowd earlier."

Elena opened her mouth, then closed it again. How could she explain what had happened at the camp? She barely understood it herself.

"Elena?" Mia's excitement faded, replaced by concern. "You look strange. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elena said quickly. "I'm just tired."

Mia studied her for a moment, clearly not convinced, but she let it go. "Fine. Come on, there's a gathering happening near the main hall tonight. The Alpha is supposed to greet the pack. You should come."

"I don't think so," Elena said. "I'm not exactly the kind of person Alphas want to see at a gathering."

"Don't say that." Mia's voice turned firm. "You're allowed to be there just like anyone else."

Elena wasn't sure that was true, but she let Mia pull her along anyway.

The main hall was crowded by the time they arrived. Warriors from Ashwood Pack stood near the front, tall and imposing in their dark uniforms. Freya was indeed near the front of the crowd, her hair perfectly styled, her dress freshly pressed. She looked every bit the picture of a girl trying to catch an Alpha's eye.

Then Kade walked in.

The whole hall seemed to quiet at once. He moved through the crowd with an ease that spoke of years of command, nodding briefly at the pack elders, accepting a formal greeting from the Silver Moon Pack Alpha with barely more than a few words. His face was calm and unreadable, nothing like the man Elena had seen at the camp earlier.

Then his eyes swept across the room, and stopped.

On her.

Elena felt her whole body go still. For a moment, it was like nobody else existed in the hall. Kade's expression flickered, just slightly, something raw passing behind his eyes before he shut it away again.

"Is he looking at you?" Mia whispered, nudging her side.

"No," Elena whispered back, even though it was very clearly not true.

Kade tore his gaze away and turned back to the pack elders, resuming his formal greetings like nothing had happened at all. But Elena noticed the way his hands had curled into fists at his sides. She noticed the tension in his shoulders that had not been there a moment before.

Freya, seeing an opportunity, pushed her way toward the front and offered Kade a deep, graceful bow. "Alpha Kade. It is such an honor to have you visit our humble pack."

Kade barely glanced at her. "Thank you."

Freya's smile faltered slightly at the short response, but she recovered quickly, launching into some story about how excited the pack was for his visit. Elena stopped listening. She kept her eyes down, trying to disappear into the crowd, trying to convince herself that whatever had happened at the camp was nothing. A trick of her mind. A moment of exhaustion.

But even from across the room, she could feel it. That same invisible pull, tugging at something deep inside her chest, refusing to let her forget.

She didn't dare look up again. She told herself it was safer that way.

She was wrong.

"Everyone, clear the hall for a moment," Kade said suddenly, his voice cutting through the noise. "I need to speak to the girl who was at the eastern camp this afternoon. Alone."