The Alpha Who Rejected How Mate

Chapter 5

Problem

The problem started.

Quiet at first.

The entire village square had fallen into a strange silence. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

Lena could feel hundreds of eyes fixed on her and Damon. The whispers had started again, quiet at first, then louder as confusion spread through the crowd.

"What is going on?" "Why is Alpha Damon staring at Lena?" "Do they know each other?" The questions came from every direction.

Lena's cheeks burned.

For years, she had done everything possible to avoid attention. She had learned to keep her head down whenever pack members whispered about her. She had learned to ignore the pitying looks, the judgment, the endless questions about why she still hadn't found her mate.

Now the entire pack was staring at her. Watching. Waiting. Judging

Her wolf, however, couldn't have cared less.

Mine

The word echoed happily inside her head. For the first time in twenty-three years, her wolf sounded complete. Satisfied. At peace.

Lena swallowed hard. This was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life. So why did she feel like she was standing on the edge of a cliff?

Across the square, Damon hadn't looked away. Not once. His golden eyes remained locked on hers. Yet there was no joy in them. No excitement, No relief. Only tension.

As though he were fighting something invisible. Before Lena could make sense of it, Alpha Richard stepped forward. A welcoming smile appeared on his face, though his sharp eyes missed nothing.

"Welcome to Shadow Crest, Alpha Damon." The moment shattered. Damon took a single step back. The distance was small. The effect on Lena wasn't too much. Her wolf whimpered immediately. The crowd seemed to wake from its trance. Conversation exploded around them.

"What was that?" “Did you see the way they were looking at each other?" "I swear something happened." Lena lowered her head. She couldn't bear the attention.

Not now. Not when her entire world had just changed. Beside her, Clara grabbed her arm so suddenly that Lena nearly jumped. "Tell me I'm imagining things."Lena blinked.

"What?" Clara narrowed her eyes. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" "Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Lena looked away. That was all the answer Clara needed.

Clara's mouth fell open. "Oh my Goddess." Lena's stomach dropped.

"He is, isn't he?" Clara whispered. "Alpha Damon is your mate." Hearing the words spoken aloud made everything feel terrifyingly real.

Lena opened her mouth, No words could come out. Because she honestly didn't know what to say, Joy, fear, hope,doubt. All of it twisted together inside her chest.

Across the square, Damon appeared to be speaking with Alpha Richard. It appeared to be an important word. Because every few moments his gaze drifted back to her.

Then away.

Then back again. As though some invisible force kept pulling him toward her. Or even looking at her was dangerous. And somehow that hurt. Clara stared at her.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted? Lena didn't answer. "You've spent years dreaming about finding your mate." Still no answer. Because one question kept repeating inside her mind. If Damon was truly her mate, why did he look like a man trapped by fate instead of blessed by it? The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Lena barely remembered walking to the feast hall. Barely remembered sitting down. And even barely remembered people talking to her.

Her attention remained fixed on one person.

Damon. The Alpha sat at the head table beside Alpha Richard. Powerful, Respected and Untouchable. Everyone wanted his attention. Everyone wanted a conversation. Yet Damon seemed interested in none of it. He only answered when spoken to and listened to when necessary.

But there was a distance in his eyes. A wall. And no matter how hard Lena tried, she couldn't ignore it. Because every time she looked at him, she saw something she hadn't expected.

Pain. Not physical pain. Something deeper.

Older. The kind of pain that settled inside a person's soul and never completely left. It made her chest ache.Suddenly Damon looked up. Their eyes met across the hall. The bond flared instantly. Heat rushed through Lena.

Her breath caught. For a brief moment, she forgot where she was, and forgot who was around them. Forgot everything except him. Damon's expression hardened. Then he stood, Without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the hall. Lena stared after him, Confused, Hurt, And somehow disappointed. Several minutes later, a young Blood Moon warrior approached her table.

"Alpha Damon wishes to speak with you.” Her heart nearly stopped. Clara immediately squeezed her hand beneath the table.

"Go." Lena rose on shaky legs. Every eye seemed to follow her as she crossed the hall. Outside, the night air was cool.The moon hung high above the trees. Silver light spilled across the empty training grounds. Damon stood near the tree line with his back to her.

Waiting. Lena's pulse raced. Every step toward him made it worse. When she finally stopped a few feet away, silence stretched between them. Neither seemed to know where to begin.

Damon spoke first. "You felt it."It wasn't a question. Lena swallowed.

"Yes." A muscle ticked in his jaw. "So it's true." The words stung. As though part of him had hoped otherwise. Her wolf growled softly.

Mine Damon closed his eyes briefly. For a moment, he looked exhausted. When he opened them again, there was something dark in their depths.

Something broken. Something haunted. "Lena." The way he said her name made her heart ache.

"You're my mate." For one perfect second, happiness exploded inside her. Twenty-three years. Twenty-three years of waiting. Of hoping.and of wondering whether she would spend her entire life alone. And now she finally had the words she had dreamed of hearing.

Her mate. The man chosen for her by the Moon Goddess. The man standing right in front of her. A smile almost touched her lips.

Almost. Then Damon looked away. The movement was small. But it felt like a knife sliding into her chest. His shoulders tensed. His jaw clenched. For a moment he looked like a man preparing for war. Not a man who had just found his soulmate. Fear crept into Lena's stomach

Something felt wrong, very wrong. Damon released a slow breath. "I never wanted this." The smile vanished from Lena's face.

"What?" His eyes returned to hers. Regret flashed across them, then guilt. Then pain. "I tried to avoid this." "Avoid what?"

"You. "The single word hit harder than any slap. Her wolf whimpered. Damon's expression tightened. As though he hated himself for what he was about to do.

"Lena...". Her heart started pounding. Every instinct told her she wasn't going to like what came next.

"You are my mate. Hope flickered inside her again. Only to die a second later. "But I can't accept you."

The world seemed to stop, The wind disappeared. The sounds from the feast hall vanished. Everything went silent. Lena stared at him, certain she had heard wrong.

"What did you say? Damon looked away.And somehow that hurt even more than the words themselves. Because for the first time since finding him… Lena realized she might lose her mate before she ever truly had him.