The Alpha’s Rejected Mate

10

ELEANOR

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor as Caspian's words continued to replay in my head.

‘She's an omega, Mira. And she can't even shift.’

I hadn't come to Blackwood Estate because I needed Caspian to take care of me or because I wanted something from him. I had come here because he needed my help. Yet somehow, I was the one who felt like I had imposed myself on him.

I lowered my head and rubbed my palms against my thighs. My father's voice suddenly came to mind, reminding me that I could always come home whenever things became difficult.

Caspian didn't want me here. His sister didn't want me here, either. They might not have said those exact words to my face, but I had heard enough to understand what they thought of me. Perhaps going home was the best decision after all.

The thought brought a strange sense of relief, and I finally stood up. My bags were still sitting beside the wardrobe, almost exactly as I had left them when I arrived. I hadn't unpacked yet and I had only taken out a few things I needed, including my lotion and some toiletries. I began gathering them and threw them back into my bag.

My movements grew more forceful as I went along. I was angry, although I couldn't decide whether I was angrier with Caspian for making me feel this way or with myself for allowing his words to get to me. I grabbed the zipper and pulled it shut with a sharp tug. I hadn't thought I would be leaving so soon. I had barely settled in, and already, I was preparing to leave.

I swung my smaller bag over my shoulder and reached for the other one. I was just about to lift it from the bed when the door suddenly opened.

I turned, startled.

Caspian stood in the doorway, his gaze moving from my face to the bags. For a moment, he didn't say anything, but something in his expression changed as he took in what I was doing.

"What are you doing?"

I stared at him. It was a strange question considering what I was doing should have been obvious.

"I'm leaving."

His jaw tightened. "Why?"

I looked at him for a moment before lowering my eyes to the bag in my hand.

"I can't stay here anymore. I'm sorry."

I wasn't apologising because I believed I had done something wrong. I simply wanted to leave without creating another argument.

Caspian stepped farther into the room. "You can't leave."

I raised my eyes to his face, then slowly looked him up and down. He stood there with the same commanding expression he always wore, like he expected everyone around him to obey without question.

I said nothing for a few seconds. Then I let out a quiet breath.

"I know who you are, Caspian. I know you're more powerful than I am, and I know there's probably nothing I could offer you that you can’t get somewhere else. But I am not the one who needs something from the other person. You are the one who needs my help."

His expression hardened, but I forced myself to continue.

"I didn't come here to beg for anything. I came because I wanted to help you. I knew you needed me, badly, if I may say so. But that doesn't mean I should stay here and feel embarrassed every time I'm reminded that you don't want me around."

I looked away, blinking rapidly before turning back to him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't keep doing this. I think it's better if I go home."

Caspian said nothing. I could see the tension building in his jaw, and I knew he wasn't pleased. He took a slow breath.

"You agreed to stay until we figured out what was happening."

"I agreed to help you," I corrected him. "I didn't agree to live under uncomfortable circumstances."

His eyes narrowed, but I was too tired to keep pretending that everything was fine.

"I didn't ask you to invite me here," I continued. "You brought me here because you needed my help. I never promised to stay no matter how you treated me."

Something flashed across his face.

"Watch your tone, Eleanor."

I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to sigh.

There it was again. The commanding voice. I found myself wondering whether he understood that I was a person with feelings of my own.

"You're not leaving this house until we figure out what's wrong with me, my wolf, and whatever you've done to me."

I stared at him. Then I let out a short, disbelieving scoff.

"What?"

"You heard me."

I pushed the bag away from me and turned to face him fully, folding my arms across my chest.

"Are you asking me to stay, Caspian, or are you ordering me to?"

His expression went still and I held his gaze, waiting for an answer but he appeared to have none.

I could almost see the struggle behind his eyes. Caspian Blackwood was an Alpha who was used to giving orders, not asking for help. He was accustomed to being the strongest person in every room, the one others depended on rather than the one who needed them. Admitting that he needed me would mean admitting that something was wrong with him. And I suspected that was the one thing he hated most.

He took a step toward me. I instinctively lifted my chin, refusing to retreat even as he closed the distance between us. He was so much taller than I was that I had to tilt my head back to look at him properly. I became suddenly aware of how little space separated us, and my fingers curled against my arms. Before I could say anything, he reached for the strap of the bag resting on my shoulder. He pulled it away from me and I immediately reached for it, but he held on.

"Give it back," I demanded.

Instead, he stepped closer. Then his eyes closed, and he released a quiet, almost inaudible sigh as his shoulders relaxed. The change was so sudden that I could only stare at him in confusion. He had been angry a second ago, practically vibrating with frustration, and now he looked like something troubling him had finally eased. It lasted only a moment, but I saw it.

Caspian opened his eyes, and his expression changed immediately. His gaze moved to my face, then dropped briefly to my neck before returning to my eyes. He inhaled again and I stiffened.

Was he…?

He suddenly stepped back like he had just realised how close we were. He let go of my bag, allowing it to fall to the floor with a dull thud.

I stared at it before looking up at him. "What is wrong with you?"

His expression turned icy.

"Don't flatter yourself. I don't need you nearly as much as you seem to think."

I blinked.

"You are not leaving," he continued coldly. "Not until we figure out what's happening. That was our agreement, and I expect you to honour it."

He turned toward the door.

"Wait." I called out.

He stopped, but he didn't look back at me. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I don't understand what's happening to you, and I'm not pretending that I do. But if I'm going to stay, I'm not going to be treated like an inconvenience whenever you don't need me."

His shoulders stiffened.

"I'll stay a little longer while you investigate whatever is happening to you. That's all I'm agreeing to. I won't spend the rest of my time here being made to feel like I don't belong, and you don't get to decide how long I stay."

The silence that followed was heavy. I watched him carefully, waiting for him to turn around and unleash whatever angry response he had been holding back. When he finally faced me, his eyes were cold.

"You seem to have grown quite comfortable giving orders in my house."

"I'm not giving you orders," I replied. "I'm telling you what I'm willing to do."

His jaw clenched.

"And what makes you think you're in a position to tell me what you're willing to do?"

I stared at him, momentarily speechless. There was no point arguing with someone who believed that being an Alpha gave him the right to control every person around him.

I looked away. "Forget it."

He held my gaze for another second before turning and walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I stood there, staring at the closed door. Then I bent down, picked up my bag, and placed it beside the bed.

I had agreed to stay a little longer, but I hadn't changed my mind about leaving. I would help him find answers if I could, but I wasn't going to let myself be trapped in this house simply because Caspian Blackwood had decided he could keep me here. If he couldn't accept that, then he would have to learn to live with it.

CASPIAN

I left Eleanor's room with my jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists. I couldn't believe what had just happened.

She had actually stood in front of me and given me conditions in my own house. Worse, she had spoken like she had every right to decide when she would leave, despite knowing that I needed her.

I should have ordered her to stay and made it clear that there would be no further discussion. That was what I would have done with anyone else. Instead, I had stood there, allowing her to speak to me like I was some ordinary man she could dismiss whenever she pleased.

The thought irritated me even more.

I was the Alpha of Blackwood Pack. I had spent years establishing my position, earning the respect of my pack, and ensuring that nobody questioned my authority. I didn't have to explain my decisions to anyone, and I certainly didn't have to negotiate with an omega who couldn't even shift. Yet somehow, Eleanor had managed to put me in that exact position, and I hated her for it.

I had gone to her room intending to speak to her about what had happened the previous night and the mess she had found herself caught up in earlier. I had even considered explaining a few things, although I wasn't entirely sure how much I could tell her when I barely understood the situation myself.

Instead, I had found her packing her bags. The sight had stirred something in me that I didn't want to examine too closely. I didn't want her to leave. Not yet. My wolf had been restless all morning, and even after everything that had happened in the studio, the thought of Eleanor walking out of the estate had made the tension beneath my skin worse. But the moment I had stood close to her, everything had eased. My wolf had settled, and I had felt the relief myself.

I stopped walking, my fists tightening at my sides.

That was the problem. I was beginning to rely on her. How was I supposed to accept that an omega who couldn't shift had the ability to calm a wolf as powerful as mine? It was humiliating.

I resumed walking, determined not to think about it any longer. I needed answers, and I needed them quickly.