REJECTED BUT FATED

Aftermath Of Divine Choice

“No…” I gasped. “No, no, no, this has to be a dream!”

I turned around to find William. His face was red, jaw clenched. Betrayal burned in his eyes.

Tears welled in mine.

The room spun.

The truth had been revealed.

And it was a truth I was not ready for: the Moon Goddess had chosen and she didn't choose William.

I stood there, bare and trembling, my human form still reeling from the pain of the shift, but nothing compared to the chaos burning inside me.

Daniel?

No. It couldn’t be. It shouldn't be.

My gaze darted toward William, still standing at the edge of the ceremonial circle, eyes wide with betrayal. He didn’t move, but his clenched fists, the snarl tugging at his lips, and the flicker of his golden eyes told me everything.

“Mate,” Daniel said again, softer this time.

He took a step toward me. Instinctively, my body responded, my heart raced, my breath caught. The mate bond was real. I felt it. Every nerve in my body confirmed it. But my mind screamed in denial.

I backed away, shaking my head violently. “No… no, this isn’t right.”

Yet he took another step.

“Get away from me,” I yelled.

He got startled and step backward.

The hall was silent now, the air heavy with confusion and judgment. I could hear murmurs.

“An Omega?”

“Mated with her own slave,”

“How is this possible?”

“She’s the Alpha’s daughter!”

My father stood frozen beside my mother. His jaw tightened, his eyes scanning between me and Daniel with unreadable tension.

“Rita, calm down,” my mother said from her seat.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not sure who I was apologizing to: myself, William, or everyone watching.

William finally moved. He stormed forward, seizing my arm.

“This is a mistake,” he hissed, his voice low but furious. “There’s no way the Moon Goddess paired you with him.”

“I don’t know what’s happening!” I snapped, pulling my arm free. “I didn’t choose this!”

“But you invited him,” he spat. “You let him in. You allowed this!”

My mouth opened, but no words came. He was right: in a twisted, terrible way, he was right. I had allowed Daniel into my life, even if it was payment for using him. And now?

Now I couldn’t look away from him.

Daniel wasn’t saying anything anymore. He just stood there, quietly watching me. I saw no pride in his expression. No joy. Just calm acceptance, and something else I didn’t want to name: something that made the mate bond even more undeniable.

Daniel stretched out his hand to me. His voice was soft, almost reverent.

“Rita, you are my fated mate.”

He said it like a miracle. Like a blessing.

But to me, it felt like a curse.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, recoiling in disgust as I shoved him away. His hand fell back to his side, the hopeful light in his eyes dimming.

The room erupted in murmurs.

“Oh, poor thing… she’s fated to her slave.”

“An Omega? That’s disgraceful.”

“She was supposed to be with William.”

Their whispers clawed into me like talons, each word echoing louder than the last. My heart thudded in panic. I felt exposed, humiliated, ruined.

“Something has to be wrong!” I screamed, tears welling up in my eyes. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be!”

Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around me. My mother.

She pulled me into her embrace, her touch a fleeting comfort in the chaos.

“Relax, my dear. Everything is going to be fine,” she whispered, her voice trembling even though she tried to sound strong.

“No, Mom,” I whimpered, trembling. “This has to be a dream. This can’t be real. Not him.”

“You’re not dreaming, my love.” She stroked my hair. “But don’t worry, we’ll handle this. You’re not alone.”

I clung to her, but my eyes drifted to my father.

He hadn’t moved. He sat still, regal and unreadable, his jaw tight and eyes cold. Then, finally, he stood.

“Listen, everyone,” he called out. His voice boomed through the hall, commanding silence.

“I apologize for my daughter’s reaction. She is… caught unaware. Many of us were when we first discovered our mates.”

He looked at me for a long moment. I couldn’t read his face.

“The Goddess has chosen her fated partner. I have to respect her decision. And so, by the next full moon, the bond-marking ceremony shall be conducted, as tradition demands.”

My breath caught.

No. He couldn’t be serious.

“But for now,” he added, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “let us continue to enjoy this celebration.”

There were cheers, yes. But also laughter. Mockery.

Murmurs.

“What a humble Alpha,” some said.

“Is he really going to allow his heir to marry a slave,” others murmured.

I felt a fire erupt inside me: burning hotter than any transformation I had endured.

He was supposed to protect me.

My father. My Alpha.

But right now, he was just like the rest of them, willing to cast me into fate’s hands like a pawn.

I looked around, at Daniel, at William, at the faces now either pitying or sneering at me, and then I turned and stormed out of the hall.

My heart pounded in my chest.

This was supposed to be my happiest day.

But it had become the day my world shattered.

I regretted it all.

I regretted ever desiring a glamorous party.

I regretted ever going to Daniel for help.

I regretted honouring my agreement with him and handling that invitation card.

I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, gasping for air. My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as I tried to keep myself from breaking down.

Mom and Dad arrived a few minutes later, their faces tight with concern, but for very different reasons.

“Sweetheart…” Mom stepped forward first, her arms open.

I didn’t move. “Don’t,” I whispered.

She paused, respecting my boundary, then said gently, “I know this is hard. I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

Dad crossed his arms, his tone stern and resolute. “It doesn’t matter what she wanted. The Goddess has made her choice.”

I glared at him. “So I’m just supposed to accept that? Live the rest of my life tied to him, a slave?”

“You speak of your fated mate with disrespect,” he growled. “He may be an Omega, and a slave, but he’s still chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. And i am sure she had a very good reason”

Mom turned toward him sharply. “Rolland, enough.”

He raised a brow. “What do you mean, ‘enough’?”

“I mean,” she said with surprising steel in her voice, “it is within the Goddess’s position to choose, yes. But we: as individuals, reserve the right to either honor that choice or reject it.”

“That’s blasphemy.”

“No. That’s freedom.” She looked back at me, her expression softening. “Rita has a right to say no. Just because a bond exists doesn’t mean she’s a prisoner to it.”

“A bond isn’t a prison, Selena,” my father snapped. “It’s sacred. It is the will of the divine. And rejecting it comes with consequences: emotional, spiritual, sometimes even political.”

I felt myself breaking. “What about the consequences of accepting it? Living a life I don’t want? Being tied to someone I can’t even stand to look at?”

“He’s your mate, not your servant anymore,” Dad shot back.

“To me, he’s still a reminder of everything I’ve hated about my life here,” I said through clenched teeth. “Everything I thought I was better than. And now you expect me to lie beside him? To rule beside him?”

Mom placed her hands on my shoulders. “You’re allowed to grieve the life you thought you would have. And you’re allowed to make your own decisions, even if they go against tradition.”

Father’s jaw tensed. “And what happens when the pack turns on us for defying the Goddess? What message will that send?”

I looked between them: my mother, my shield; my father, my ruler, and said quietly, “Then let them turn. I’d rather be hated for choosing my path than be trapped in one I didn’t ask for.”

Silence settled for a long moment.

Then my mother said, “We’ll figure this out. One way or another. I won’t let you be forced into anything.”

Father said nothing. Just turned and left the room.

I sank into my mother’s arms, trembling.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.