CHAPTER THREE: REJECTED
1199 Words
Elara's POV
The clearing exploded into whispers.
"The Silver Heir?"
"What does that mean?"
"Impossible."
"She's dead."
"No, her parents died."
"Then why does she have the eyes?"
My heart hammered so violently against my ribs that it felt painful. Every face in the crowd had turned toward me. Some looked confused. Others looked afraid. A few looked furious.
And I had absolutely no idea why.
The woman who had screamed collapsed to her knees. Still pointing at me. Still shaking. "No..." she whispered. "It can't be her."
I took a step backward. Then another.
Ava immediately moved beside me.
"What the hell is happening?" she hissed.
I laughed. A short, nervous sound.
"If I knew, I'd tell you."
The woman suddenly looked toward Alpha Darius. "Don't let her leave."
Silence. Complete silence.
The words sent a chill down my spine. My stomach dropped. Why would she say that? Why was everyone staring at me like I was dangerous?
My gaze found Darius. For one brief second, something flashed across his face.
Regret. Fear. Conflict.
Then it vanished. Replaced by the cold mask of an Alpha.A horrible feeling settled in my chest. The same feeling I'd had when I opened my mother's letter.
Run.
Every instinct screamed it but my feet refused to move. I needed answers. And right now, the only person who looked like he had them was standing on that platform.
"Alpha?" Elder Thomas spoke quietly.
Darius didn't respond. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might c***k.
"Alpha," the Elder repeated.
This time, his voice carried. The entire clearing fell silent. Waiting. Watching.
Darius's eyes found mine again. The bond between us tightened. My wolf surged forward.
Mate.
The word echoed through me like a prayer. A promise. A future.
For one beautiful, impossible second, I imagined him stepping down from that platform. Imagined him crossing the distance between us. Imagined him taking my hand and telling everyone they were wrong. That I wasn't dangerous. That I wasn't cursed.
That I was his.
Instead, he looked away. And my heart broke before he even opened his mouth.
"Elara Carter." The sound of my name on his lips sent a shiver through me.
Hope. Stupid, reckless hope.Then he destroyed it. "I reject you."
The words hit harder than a physical blow. The world tilted. Air vanished from my lungs. A sharp pain exploded in my chest.
Not emotional pain. Actual pain.
As if someone had reached inside me and ripped something apart. A cry escaped my throat. The crowd suddenly became blurry. My knees buckled. Ava caught me before I hit the ground.
"No." The word came out broken. Pathetic. Humiliating.
The pain kept spreading. Burning through every nerve.
Every heartbeat.
Every breath.
My wolf howled. The sound echoed inside my head. Heartbroken. Abandoned. Rejected. Tears blurred my vision.
Across the clearing, Darius looked just as pale as I felt.
Good.
I wanted him to hurt.
I wanted him to suffer.
I wanted him to feel even a fraction of what he'd just done to me.
But none of that mattered. Because he had made his choice. And it wasn't me.
The crowd parted as Ava dragged me away.
Nobody stopped us. Nobody spoke. Nobody helped.
I could feel their eyes following me.
Judging. Pitying, maybe.
The further we got from the ceremony, the harder it became to breathe.
The bond was breaking. Slowly. Painfully.
Like a knife twisting deeper with every step.
By the time we reached my cottage, I was shaking uncontrollably. Ava slammed the door shut behind us.
"Sit."
I dropped onto a chair. The room spun.
Tears slid down my cheeks. I didn't bother wiping them away.
Ava crouched in front of me. "This isn't over."
I laughed bitterly. "It looks pretty over."
"He didn't want to do it."
I looked up sharply. "What?"
"He looked terrified."
"So?"
"People don't reject their mates for no reason."
I folded my arms. The movement sent another wave of pain through my chest. "Maybe he did."
"You don't believe that."
"I don't know what I believe anymore."
The truth tasted bitter. Everything had happened so fast.
The letter.
The ceremony.
The woman screaming.
The Silver Heir.
The rejection. Nothing made sense.
A knock interrupted my thoughts. Three sharp knocks. My entire body froze.
Ava frowned. "Are you expecting someone?"
"No."
The knock came again. Louder this time.
Then a voice. Deep. Male. Familiar. "Elara."
The sound sent a shock through me. No.
No way.
Ava's eyes widened. "Is that—"
"Yes."
Alpha Darius. My rejected mate. Standing outside my door less than an hour after shattering my heart.
The audacity.
I shot to my feet. Pain immediately stabbed through my chest. I ignored it.
Ava wisely stepped aside. "Don't kill him."
"No promises."
Another knock. "Elara, please."
Please? The word stopped me. Alpha Darius Blackwood did not say please. Not to anyone.
Slowly, I opened the door. My heart immediately betrayed me. Because even after everything...
Even after the rejection… He was still devastatingly handsome.
Moonlight illuminated his face. Highlighting the tension in his expression.
The exhaustion. The guilt.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then I smiled. A cold smile. One that didn't reach my eyes. "What do you want?"
Something flickered across his face.
Pain.
I shrugged at the sight. Let him feel it, I thought.
"Elara, I need you to listen."
I laughed. The sound was sharp enough to cut. "That's funny."
His jaw tightened. "I'm serious."
"So was I."
The silence stretched. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Finally, he took a step forward. "You're in danger."
I blinked. Then laughed again. Actually laughed. Because of all the things I expected him to say—That wasn't one of them.
"Oh, now I'm in danger?"
His eyes darkened. "Elara."
"No, let's talk about danger." I pointed directly at my chest. "You rejected me in front of the entire pack."
His face paled.
"You humiliated me."
"Elara—"
"You shattered the mate bond." The words cracked. Pain slipped through despite my efforts. His expression twisted. As if hearing it hurt.
"It wasn't a choice."
The sentence stopped me. "What?"
"It wasn't my choice."
For one terrible second, hope stirred again. I hated it. Hated myself for it. Then I remembered the letter. My mother's warning.
Do not let the Alpha find you.
Cold reality crashed back down. I stepped away from the door. "Leave."
"Elara—"
"Leave."
His fists clenched. I saw it. Saw the frustration. The desperation. The fear.
Fear.
That emotion again. Why was he so afraid?
Then his gaze shifted. Past me. Toward the window. Every trace of color drained from his face.
My stomach dropped. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The Alpha moved so fast I barely saw it. One second he was outside. The next, he was inside my cottage. Standing in front of me. Shielding me.
A low growl rumbled from his chest. Ever
y instinct in my body screamed danger. "What—"
The window exploded inward. Glass shattered across the floor. A dark figure landed inside the cottage.
And the glowing red eyes staring directly at me were anything but human.
- Writer
