Rejected By My Alpha Mate

I’m not supposed to be here. The thought screams through my mind as I crouch behind the massive oak tree, my breathing ragged and uneven. The forest is deathly silent except for the faint crunch of snow beneath boots. They’re close. Too close. “I know you’re out there, Ariana.” His voice cuts through the stillness, smooth and mocking, the way it always is when he’s toying with someone. Only now, there’s something darker underneath. “You can’t hide forever.” Damien. Of all the people I expected to betray me, he wasn’t one of them. My heart pounds against my ribs as I grip the hilt of my blade tighter, the blood on my hands mine and someone else’s making it slick. “Come out, little wolf,” he calls, his voice sing-song now, like this is some twisted game. “Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.” Harder for who? I bite back the retort, staying silent, staying still. The moonlight filters through the bare branches, casting eerie shadows on the snow. I peek around the tree, and there he is, standing in the clearing. His dark hair gleams under the moon, his leather jacket unzipped despite the cold. He looks calm, almost bored, but I know better. “What the hell do you want, Damien?” I finally shout, stepping out from behind the tree, my voice steadier than I feel. His eyes snap to mine, and for a moment, something flickers there relief, maybe? But it’s gone in an instant, replaced by that familiar smirk. “You,” he says simply, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. My stomach twists, but I don’t let it show. “You’ve lost your damn mind.” “Maybe.” He shrugs, taking a step closer. I raise the blade. “Don’t.” He stops, his hands raised in mock surrender. “Relax. If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t have given you a head start.” “A head start?” I laugh, the sound hollow. “You sent rogues after me, Damien! People are dead because of you!” His jaw tightens, but his expression doesn’t waver. “You don’t understand.” “Then explain it to me!” I snap, my grip on the blade tightening. He takes another step closer, ignoring the warning in my eyes. “They’re after you, Ariana. Not me, not the pack you. I didn’t have a choice.” “Bullshit,” I spit. “You always have a choice.” “Not this time,” he says, his voice softer now. “You think I wanted this? To betray my own pack? To—” He cuts himself off, his fists clenching at his sides. “To what? To prove you’re the same arrogant bastard you’ve always been?” Something shifts in his expression, and for the first time, he looks… hurt. But I don’t let myself dwell on it. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing?” I continue, my voice rising. “You think I don’t know this is about control? About me rejecting you?” At that, his smirk returns, sharper this time. “Oh, it’s definitely about that.” I freeze, caught off guard by his honesty. “You humiliated me,” he says, his tone almost conversational. “In front of the pack. In front of my father. You think I’d let that slide?” “So this is revenge,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s more than that.” He steps closer, and I don’t stop him this time. “You can’t run from this, Ariana. From me. We’re bonded, whether you like it or not.” “I’ll never accept it,” I say, my voice shaking with the force of my defiance. He smiles, but there’s no warmth in it. “We’ll see.” Before I can respond, the wind shifts, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of blood and wolves. “They’re here,” I whisper. Damien’s head snaps up, his expression hardening. “Stay behind me.” I laugh, bitter and sharp. “Like hell I will.” But then they appear, their glowing yellow eyes cutting through the darkness. Four of them, all in wolf form, their snarls echoing through the clearing. “You planned this, didn’t you?” I accuse, but Damien doesn’t respond. He shifts seamlessly, his massive black wolf towering over the others. For a moment, I hesitate, watching as he lunges at the nearest rogue with a ferocity that takes my breath away. But then the second rogue charges at me, and I don’t have time to think. The fight is brutal, the kind that leaves you breathless and bloody. I don’t know how long it lasts, but when it’s over, I’m on my knees, my blade buried in the rogue’s chest. Damien shifts back, his chest heaving, blood dripping from a gash on his arm. “You okay?” he asks, his voice rough. I nod, even though I’m not. And then the ground shakes. It’s subtle at first, barely noticeable, but then it grows stronger, the trees around us shuddering. “What the—” I start, but Damien cuts me off. “Run.” “What?” “Run!” he shouts, grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet. I don’t have time to argue before the clearing explodes in a blur of motion. More rogues than I can count burst through the trees, their howls deafening. “This isn’t normal,” I say, my voice trembling as we sprint through the forest. “No, it’s not,” Damien agrees, his grip on my arm tight. “Then what the hell is going on?” He doesn’t answer, and that’s when I know he knows more than he’s letting on. “Damien!” I shout, but before he can respond, a rogue tackles him from behind. I skid to a stop, turning just in time to see him shift mid-air, his wolf snapping at the rogue’s throat. “Go!” he roars, his voice more growl than human. But I don’t. I can’t. Because in that moment, as the rogues close in around us, I realize something that chills me to my core. This isn’t just an attack. It’s a hunt. And I’m the prey.