REJECTED BUT FATED

Growing Mate Bond

I thought of it all, I strategized on how to win the battle, and how to solve my problem.

Then, it occurred to me. I must enter through the weakest link:

Daniel.

I could plead with him, and I could threaten him.

Immediately I stood up and set out to look for him.

The moonlight spilled across the quiet garden behind the pack house. I found him there, sitting beneath the old ash tree, his back against the trunk, face tilted to the stars like he belonged to another world.

I stood for a moment, watching him. His shirt was still creased from the party, the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows. His hair was tousled, and the light breeze toyed with it gently. He looked so peaceful.

It made me angrier.

I cleared my throat.

Daniel turned slowly, his eyes locking onto mine. They weren’t defiant or smug, just calm. That made it worse somehow.

“I came here to ask you something,” I said, striding toward him, arms folded across my chest.

“I want you to reject the bond.”

His expression didn’t change. “Why?”

“Because I can’t be mated to you,” I snapped. “I don’t want to. I have future plans that don’t involve you. You’re ruining everything.”

He rose to his feet, slowly. “You think I am enjoying this?”

“I don’t care,” I muttered. “Just say the words. Reject me, and let me be free.”

He took a step forward.

I stepped back.

“Why are you shaking?” he asked softly. “Is it because of me?”

“No,” I lied. But the moment he was near, my whole body betrayed me. My heart thumped wildly, my breath caught in my throat. My skin tingled with awareness, with... longing.

“I don’t want this,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

“Then why are you still standing here?” he asked, his voice low and steady.

His hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair from my face. That single touch lit a fire under my skin. The bond between us pulsed like a drumbeat. I felt it: the warmth, the hunger, the connection I didn’t want but couldn’t ignore.

Before I could think, my fingers reached for him.

He gasped faintly when my palm rested on his chest.

“Rita…” he murmured, his hand closing around mine.

We were so close.

And slowly, the bond pushed my face towards his.

Our lips met,

And then we kissed.

It started slowly, tentative, hesitant, but quickly deepened into something fierce and consuming. My body moved before my mind could stop it. I pressed into him, his arms wrapping around me like they’d always been meant to.

My hormones triggered.

I wanted him inside of me.

My body wanted him desperately.

But suddenly, reality hit me.

He is still a slave: the one I can’t end up with.

What am I doing?

I broke away, breathless and shaken. His eyes searched mine, dazed and hopeful.

I couldn’t believe I could do such a disgusting thing.

I couldn’t blame myself, so I blamed him.

Slap!

My hand cracked against his cheek.

His head turned slightly from the force, and a red mark bloomed on his skin.

“This… this never happened,” I hissed. “You hear me?”

He nodded, silent.

I didn’t wait for another word. I turned and ran, heart pounding, shame burning like acid in my chest.

What’s happening to me?

Why did it feel like I wanted him?

Why did the bond feel so… right?

“Why did his lips taste so good?”

I didn’t have the answers. Only more confusion.

And guilt.

And a terrible, gnawing fear that this was only the beginning.

Returning to the academy felt like stepping into a battlefield.

Whispers trailed behind me like a shadow. The girls didn’t even try to hide their smirks anymore.

“Can you imagine? The Alpha’s daughter fated to an Omega?”

“She must’ve angered the moon goddess in another life.”

I held my head high, pretending not to hear them. But their words pierced deeper than I wanted to admit.

Daniel sat alone at the far end of the dining hall, near the windows. As always, isolated. No one dared sit next to him: not when he is a slave in the midst of nobles.

I avoided him like he carried the plague. My eyes darted away any time I caught his gaze. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me struggle, even if every fiber of my body still burned from that kiss.

I hated that I could still feel the bond.

I hated that a part of me wanted to.

“Mind if I join you?” a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned. Maxwell.

William’s brother. The Beta’s second son. Charming, composed, and far more unpredictable than he let on.

“Be my guest,” I said flatly.

He slid into the seat across from me and placed a velvet box on the table. “A gift,” he said with a wink. “To brighten the day of the most beautiful girl in Shadow Blade.”

I didn’t move to touch it.

“Maxwell… what are you doing?”

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Reminding you that not every fate is written in stone.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The goddess may show us a path, but she never forces us to walk it. Maybe the bond with Daniel is a test. A challenge. One meant to reveal your heart, not bind it.”

I scoffed. “That sounds like blasphemy.”

“That sounds like honesty,” he replied, undeterred. “What if you’re meant to question the bond? What if your true mate isn’t the one the goddess marked… but the one you choose to fight for?”

His words lingered in the air like smoke.

I shook my head. “You don’t understand.”

“Then help me,” he said. “Help me understand why a girl like you should be shackled to a slave like him.”

My chest tightened. I wanted to scream, to cry, to push all of this away, but I couldn't.

I was crumbling inside, and Maxwell could see it.

But unlike the others, he wasn’t mocking me.

He was offering me an escape.

And I was starting to wonder if I wanted to take it.

I turned back and saw William staring.

The day had dragged on longer than usual. I tried to bury myself in schoolwork, to hide in empty hallways and avoid the stares, the whispers, the invisible chains of fate tugging at my chest.

I thought I was alone until I turned to the corner, and ran straight into William.

His arms caught me before I could fall.

“Rita,” he said softly, his grip firm but gentle. “We need to talk.”

I froze. My chest tightened at the sound of his voice: the voice that once brought me peace. The voice I had imagined would one day say vows beside mine.

He guided me into an empty classroom and shut the door behind us.

“I’ve been patient,” he began, stepping closer. “I’ve watched the chaos. The whispers. The humiliation they put you through.”

He touched my cheek lightly. “But I don’t care what anyone says. You’re mine. We’ve always known it. I feel it here.”

He took my hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart “and I know you feel it too.”

I looked away, biting my lip. “William, it’s not that simple. The goddess chose.”

“I don’t care what the goddess chose!” he snapped, then sighed, softening. “I care what you choose.”

His eyes were searching mine, desperate and fierce.

“I’ll fight for us, Rita. I’ll fight anyone, even the gods, if I have to. But only if you’re willing to fight beside me. Only if you’re ready to stand by me and reject that bond.”

I swallowed hard. My heart pounded painfully.

He reached out again, this time brushing my hair back behind my ear. “Tell me you still believe in us. That you still want us.”

The room grew still. His words hung like a sword over everything I thought I knew.

Did I?

Did I want to walk away from the bond—and everything it meant?

I didn’t answer right away.

But my silence... said more than I wanted to admit.