Chapter 1: Rejected Before Midnight
933 Words
"I reject you”
Three words
Three words that broke me before I could even say his name
The ballroom went silent
Crystal chandeliers burned overhead Light bounced off marble floors Silk gowns whispered Champagne glittered in glass
No one breathed
Every eye was on me
The servant
The human in a borrowed dress that suddenly felt like nothing
My heart stopped
Alpha Kade Blackwood stood a few feet away Black tuxedo Hands in pockets like he owned the air I breathed
Cold gray eyes
Sharp jaw
Dark hair
Power carved into a face
The most feared Alpha in the North
The youngest billionaire in the country
The man every she-wolf wanted
And my mate
I hadn’t known until he walked in
The second I saw him, something inside me woke up
A pull
An ache
A whisper
Mate
I’d been holding a tray of champagne my knees almost buckled
His scent hit me first Pine Rain Smoke It wrapped around me and didn’t let go
Then our eyes met
For one second I saw shock on his face
He felt it too
The bond
I almost smiled
Almost believed
Then his face went hard
He walked straight to me Not soft Not curious
Disgusted
"I reject you”
His voice cut through the silence
"I, Alpha Kade Blackwood, reject Maya as my fated mate”
The pain hit like a fist to my chest
I gasped and clutched my dress it felt like he’d reached inside me and ripped something out
The room spun
Then came the laughter
Soft at first
Then meaner
"I knew it”
"A human servant? As Luna?"
"She really thought she had a chance”
I stared at the floor
I would not cry not here not for him
"You should be grateful," Kade said Cold Final “This is kinder than letting you dream”
Each word was a blade
I should hate him
I tried to
But the bond was still there Bleeding Reaching for him anyway
"Maya”
Madame Eleanor yanked my arm Hard
"Clean this”
I looked down The tray was on the floor Champagne everywhere Crystal shattered like stars
Like promises
"I’m sorry," I whispered
"Sorry doesn’t pay for imported crystal”
She shoved a towel at me”Move”
Guests stepped around me like I was nothing
Worse than nothing
I knelt My hands shook as I picked up glass
Blood welled on my fingers
No one cared
A drop hit the marble
Then another
A tear
I wiped it fast
"You missed a spot”
Polished shoes Right in front of me
I looked up
Kade
He hadn’t left
"You call this clean?"
His eyes dropped to my bleeding fingers For half a second something crossed his face
Regret?
No
"Finish your work”
He turned and walked away
Like he hadn’t just killed me
---
By 11:50 the ballroom was almost empty
Music was dying Most guests had left
Just us servants left to clean Erasing everything Including me
I slipped out the servants' door
Cold air Finally I could breathe
The gardens were quiet under a silver moon
Perfect hedges White roses A fountain
All of it beautiful
None of it mine
I sat by the fountain My chest still burned
I’d heard stories Some rejected mates healed Some didn’t Some died
I pressed my hand to my chest
"Please," I whispered
"Did I do something wrong?"
Only wind answered
A bitter laugh tore out of me
Of course Even the Moon Goddess ignores servants
"I thought I’d find you here”
I froze
That voice
Kade stood under the moonlight No crowd No mask Just tired
Dangerous
"What do you want?"
My voice came out small
He studied me
"You should leave this pack”
I blinked “What?"
"I’ll give you money, a house, a job”
"You rejected me”
"Yes”
"You humiliated me”
"Yes”
"And now you want to pay me to disappear?"
His jaw ticked “I’m solving a problem”
I laughed, but it hurt ”A problem”
"You're human”
"I know”
"You can’t stand beside an Alpha”
"I never asked to”
"You’re weak”
Something snapped
"I survived 21 years in a werewolf pack with no wolf Without your help”
"You survived because we allowed it”
"No”
I stood up my legs shook but I stood
"I survived because I refused to die”
Surprise flickered on his face Gone fast
"You think I wanted this?" My voice cracked “You think I dreamed of falling for the man who looks at me like trash?"
"I never said love”
"You didn’t have to I felt the bond”
"So did I”
His quiet words stole my breath
He felt it too every second
"And you still rejected me”
"Yes”
"Why?"
Silence Heavy
Then: ‘Because some mistakes can’t be Luna”
Mistake
That’s what I was
I nodded “I understand”
And I did for the first time
I turned to leave before I broke completely
"Maya”
I didn’t stop
"Maya”
A low growl behind me not angry hurt
Then the ground shook
An explosion ripped through the east wing
Fire Screaming Smoke eating the stars
A war howl cut through the night one I’d only heard in stories
Every werewolf froze
Kade’s face went white
"No “
He looked at me and for the first time, he wasn’t cold
He looked scared
"Maya “
"They’re here for you”
—
- Writer
