REJECTED BUT FATED

The Deal

I stared at him, unsure whether I should slap him or scream. But he didn’t flinch. His gaze stayed firm and calm, even. He wasn’t joking. And the worst part? I needed him.

That moment made me realize something terrifying.

The Omega had power now.

And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“No. I’m not looking forward to seeing someone of low status like you at my party,” I snapped, my pride wounding my own sense of reason.

His eyes watered slightly, turning red with the threat of tears, but his face remained composed. His confidence never wavered.

“Then you can forget about the party altogether,” he said quietly, and turned to walk away.

I grabbed his shirt and yanked him back.

“What were you trying to do? Walk out on me?” I barked.

He shrugged off my grip and stepped away, silent. He didn’t even bother to look back as he walked off.

I didn’t know what stung more: his audacity or the fact that he was refusing to help me.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of bitterness. I was angry. Angry at everyone. At Daniel for making me feel powerless. At William for being too proud to notice. At my father for putting me in this position. But mostly, I was angry at myself for needing him.

No one noticed my gloom.

Not William.

Not my friends.

Only Daniel always noticed. But this time, he didn’t care.

I went home furious. The walls of our grand estate felt like they were closing in on me. I slammed the door to my room and buried my face in my pillow, feeling useless and helpless.

Later that evening, my mother came in.

“Why are you sad, my dear?” she asked gently.

I said nothing. I didn’t even look up.

“Still beating yourself up over the party?” she asked again, sitting beside me.

I kept silent, too proud to admit my turmoil. But the concern in her voice chipped away my stubbornness.

“I’ve been talking to your father about it,” she said. “But he seems firm on his words.”

“Dad is the least of my problems right now,” I muttered.

She blinked. “Then what’s eating you up?”

“Daniel,” I murmured, almost ashamed to say it.

“The Omega boy?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes, Mom,” I said, my eyes beginning to sting with tears.

“What did he do?”

“He turned down my request,” I whispered.

“Tell me, sweetheart. What happened?”

I sat up and took a deep breath. I told her everything. How I’d asked Daniel for help. How he’d dared to set a condition. How he walked away when I refused.

When I finished, she was quiet for a long time.

“That’s why you’re upset?” she asked calmly, as though what I had just poured out wasn’t a crisis.

“How could an Omega give me conditions before doing what I asked?” I cried. “I’m the Alpha’s daughter! I’m the future leader of this pack! If I can’t get an Omega to obey me, then what does that make my status worth?”

She smiled softly and pulled me into a hug.

“Oh, Rita,” she whispered. “You’re thinking about this all wrong.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, frowning.

“A true leader,” she said gently, “is a servant of the people. Leadership isn’t about barking orders or demanding loyalty. It’s about earning respect. It’s about putting the pack’s needs above your pride.”

“But Daniel is an Omega. A slave,” I said, confused. “A servant of the pack.”

“Yes, he may be an Omega,” she said, “and yes, the pack sees him as a servant. But he is still a part of our people. You don’t force those who serve, you lift them. You guide them. You value them.”

I looked away, wrestling with the guilt I didn’t want to feel.

“I can’t give him what he wants,” I said after a long pause.

“Why not?” she asked, calmly but firmly. “Without his help, there’ll be no party. So why can’t he attend the celebration he made possible?”

Her words pierced through me like cold water down my spine.

It was true.

Without Daniel, there would be no party. No celebration. No six A’s. He was the key. The one person I’d looked down on is the same person who held my fate in his hands.

I sat quietly for a moment, letting the truth settle into my chest.

Then I leaned into my mother’s arms and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll think about it,” I whispered.

She stroked my hair gently. “That’s all I ask, sweetheart.”

I stood in front of Daniel the next morning, arms folded tightly across my chest. Swallowing my pride felt like chewing glass, but I had made up my mind.

“Fine,” I said coldly.

He blinked. “Fine?”

“You can come to the party. VIP invitation card will be given to you. Front row. Whatever.” I exhaled sharply. “Just help me pass.”

For a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared at me, studying me like I was some complicated math problem he needed to solve. I hated that. I hated how calm he always seemed, how his quietness made me feel loud and messy.

Then he nodded once.

“Alright. We start today.”

And just like that, my fate was sealed.

That afternoon, we sat at the far corner of the library, away from everyone’s gaze. Daniel took control instantly, flipping open textbooks, creating a schedule, and outlining everything I’d missed over the past months. His handwriting was neat, his explanations simple yet deep.

He was annoyingly good at this.

And I hated how much I needed him.

We studied during breaks, after classes, even into the evenings. Sometimes I dozed off in the middle of a lesson, only for him to nudge me back to focus. He never raised his voice, never mocked me. He was just patient, may too patient.

Which made me feel more ashamed.

But I refused to show it.

“You’re surprisingly smart for a slave,” I muttered once as he explained advanced pack history.

He glanced up. “And you’re surprisingly behind for someone born into privilege.”

I snapped my head toward him, ready to lash out, but something in his eyes made me stop. Not defiance. Not disrespect. Just honesty.

And that made it worse.

The real storm began two days later.

William cornered me after class, his face dark with confusion and frustration.

“What the hell is going on, Rita?” he growled.

I tilted my head. “With what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been spending all your time with him.” His voice dripped with disgust.

“With that Omega trash.”

“It’s none of your business,” I said coolly, brushing past him.

I was angry with him, he didn't notice my turmoil.

He grabbed my wrist. “Since when my girlfriend starts acting like she’s lost her mind!”

“Let go, William,” I warned.

Students were already watching from nearby. The rumor had begun to spread like wildfire.

Rita. The Alpha’s daughter. Studying with a slave.

By lunchtime, I could feel the stares. Hear the whispers.

“She’s lost it.”

“Probably under a spell.”

“Did you see her sit next to him? It’s disgusting.”

They tried to whisper, but I heard every word. Their laughter rang in my ears like broken bells. Even Kenneth gave me a mocking grin as he walked by.

I pretended not to care. Pretended it didn’t sting.

But it did.

“ It is worth it,” I told myself

So, during lunch, I decided to set the record straight.

As Daniel quietly ate alone at a corner table, I stood and raised my voice so the entire hall could hear.

“In case any of you are confused,” I said, “I’m not friends with the Omega.”

The cafeteria went still.

“I’m not defending him. I’m not falling for him. I’m not enchanted or cursed. I’m using him.”

Gasps echoed.

“I need to have six “A”. Iteis the only condition my dad gave me in order to threw me a party.”

“He’s smart. That’s all. I’m using him to get my grades up and get the party I deserve.”

I looked straight at William as I finished.

“Nothing more.”

Daniel didn’t even look up. He kept eating like nothing happened. But I saw the flicker in his eyes. I saw how my words hit him.

And for a moment, I almost regretted saying them.

Almost.

But i Didn’t, we had a deal.

After that, the mocking slowed. The laughter dimmed. They still stared, but now with understanding.

“She’s just using him,” someone whispered.

“Of course. That makes sense.”

And William? He didn’t speak to me for two days.

But I kept going.

Because I was Rita.

Daughter of the Alpha.

And no one, not even William nor my conscience, would get in the way of my party.

Daniel didn’t react to my public announcement. Not a frown. Not a single word of protest. He simply focused on helping me. That was his strength: his quiet dedication. The kind of strength that shamed you without saying a word.

Meanwhile, William finally came around.

“I’m sorry I misunderstood you,” he said one evening, his voice low, sincere.

I turned to look into his eyes, warm, familiar. He had been my childhood friend, my first kiss, my first love. No matter what he did, he was someone I found hard to resist.

“I’m sorry too,” I said gently. “I should’ve explained before going to Daniel.”

We embraced, and our lips met. It felt like coming home after a storm.

“I missed you,” I murmured against his chest.

Everything settled after that. For my sake, William and his clique stopped tormenting Daniel. No taunts. No tripping in the halls. Just silence.

But the peace wasn’t comforting, it was fragile, like glass waiting to shatter.

Exams arrived like a whirlwind.

I barely had time, but Daniel gave everything. He sacrificed sleep, breaks, and comfort just to make sure I understood each lesson. Every concept. Every formula. Every page.

It was as if my entire life depended on those grades, and in a way, it did.

During the exams, he sat beside me. No words were exchanged, only glances. His eyes became my guide. I didn’t even have to ask aloud, just a twitch of his brow, a tap on the desk, a subtle shift, it was all we needed. We had built a language of our own.

That’s when it hit me: we had formed a connection far deeper than I had allowed myself to admit.

He knew me. Not just my strengths, but my weaknesses too.

One week later, the results came out.

I stared at my result sheet in disbelief.