Chapter 1: Rejected
"I, Liam Grayson, reject Brielle Lockwood as my fated mate.”
His voice was loud, steady, and unapologetic, slicing through the silence of the pack gathering. It wasn’t just a rejection: it was a public execution.
My world stopped. The bonfire crackled behind me, its warmth doing nothing against the icy chill spreading through my chest. The full moon bathed the clearing in silver light, the kind that should’ve felt magical. Instead, it felt like a spotlight, highlighting every broken piece of me for the pack to see.
I stood there, frozen, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. For a moment, I thought I’d misheard him.
He didn’t mean it. He couldn’t have.
“W-what?” My voice barely came out, a quiet, trembling whisper.
Liam turned to face me fully, his dark blue eyes locking onto mine with all the warmth of a glacier. He smirked, the corner of his mouth tilting up like this was some kind of game to him.
“Did you really think I’d claim you, Brielle? You? Let’s be real. you’re not exactly mate material.”
The pack gasped as one, their collective shock rippling through the clearing.
“You’re joking,” I said, but the words came out weak, pathetic, even to me.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” he shot back, his voice razor-sharp. He crossed his arms, the alpha in him fully on display. His posture screamed confidence, dominance,everything I wasn’t.
Pain flared in my chest, sharp and unbearable. It was the mate bond breaking, shattering, twisting in on itself. I stumbled back a step, but Liam didn’t even flinch.
“You’re pathetic, Brielle,” he continued, his voice rising now so everyone could hear. “You think someone like me,an alpha,would ever choose someone like you? You can’t even shift. You’re weak, a disgrace to your bloodline. Fate screwed up when it paired us.”
The gasps turned into murmurs, some horrified, others amused. A few wolves even chuckled, the sound twisting the knife deeper.
Stop. Please stop.
But he didn’t stop.
“You’ve been a dead weight on this pack your whole life,” he said, stepping closer. His words felt like physical blows, each one cutting deeper than the last. “You don’t fight. You don’t lead. Hell, you can’t even keep up during runs. You’re a liability, Brielle. A defect.”
Defect.
The word slammed into me like a freight train.
He wasn’t wrong. I’d been born to an alpha pair: an inheritance that should’ve made me powerful, respected. Instead, I’d been born broken. A wolf who couldn’t shift. No strength, no speed, no claws or fur or howls to call my own.
Still, hearing him say it in front of the entire pack? It felt like dying.
Then, as if the universe hadn’t humiliated me enough, Kylie stepped forward.
“Oh, Liam,” she purred, her voice saccharine sweet. “Don’t waste your breath. She’s not worth it.”
Kylie. My stepsister. The golden child who could do no wrong. She’d always made it her mission to remind me how much better she was: stronger, prettier, perfect in ways I never could be.
She slid her arm through Liam's,pressing herself against his side like she belonged there. And maybe she did. The universe clearly thought so.
“That’s right,” Liam said, his arm tightening around her waist. “I’ve already chosen my mate. Kylie’s everything you’re not, Brielle. Strong, capable, and, let’s be honest, a lot more fun to look at.”
Laughter erupted around the clearing, sharp and cruel.
My chest constricted so tightly I thought I might actually pass out.
Kylie smirked at me, her brown eyes glinting with malice. “Don’t look so surprised, Brielle,” she said, her tone mocking. “Did you really think Liam would pick you? Look at you.” She gestured to me, her lip curling. “You’re a joke. An embarrassment. Honestly, it’s a miracle you’re still even in this pack.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“She’s not even crying,” Kylie said, fake pouting as she turned back to me. “You’re stronger than I thought. Or are you just too numb to feel anything?”
My nails dug into my palms so hard I knew they’d break the skin. The sting of pain kept me grounded, barely.
Then, just as I thought it couldn’t get worse, Sylvia appeared.
My stepmother was the picture of poise, her sleek black dress clinging to her like it was tailor-made for a queen. Her blood-red lips curved into a slow, calculated smile as she stepped into the clearing.
“Brielle,” she said, her voice smooth as silk but sharp enough to cut. “You’re causing quite the scene.”
I flinched at her words, her tone. She always knew how to twist the knife.
She placed a hand on Kylie’s shoulder, as if calming her down, though the gesture felt more like a show of power.
“This is… unfortunate,” Sylvia said, tilting her head as if she actually pitied me. “But not entirely unexpected. You’ve always been…” She paused, pretending to search for the right word. “Well, let’s just say... underwhelming.”
The crowd murmured again, and I felt their eyes on me: some filled with pity, others with disgust.
“Mother, don’t be so mean,” Kylie said, though the smirk on her face said she was loving every second of this.
“I’m just being honest,” Sylvia replied, her gaze never leaving mine. “Brielle, darling, it’s time you faced reality. Liam made the right choice. This pack needs strength, power, real leadership. Not…” She waved a hand vaguely in my direction. “Whatever it is you think you bring to the table.”
My throat burned, but no words came.
“Don’t feel too bad,” Kylie added, her voice sickly sweet. “You’ll find your place eventually. Maybe as someone’s omega.”
The laughter that followed was deafening.
I couldn’t take it anymore. My legs moved before my brain caught up, carrying me away from the clearing, away from their voices, their stares, their laughter.
“Aw, don’t run away!” Kylie called after me, her voice echoing through the trees. “It’s just a little rejection. You’ll survive!”
The forest closed in around me, dark and quiet, but it wasn’t enough to drown out their voices.
“Defect.”
“Disgrace.”
“Pathetic.”
The words replayed in my mind like a broken record, over and over again until I thought I might actually lose my mind.
I stopped by the river, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, the damp earth soaking into my dress.
The bond: the mate bond I’d felt so deeply for the last two years,was gone. Or maybe it was still there, fraying apart piece by piece, leaving behind an unbearable emptiness.
The pain was unlike anything I’d ever felt, like someone had reached inside my chest and ripped my heart out.
Why wasn’t I enough?
The question burned in my mind, louder than the rushing water, louder than the crickets, louder than the whispers of the wind.
I’d been born to greatness, but I was a failure. A defective wolf. A burden.
And now, I was nothing.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard a wolf howl, long and mournful.
I tilted my head back, staring up at the moon. It glowed brightly, indifferent to my suffering, my humiliation, my broken heart.
And that’s when it hit me.
No one was coming to save me. Not my mother, who was long dead. Not Liam. Not anyone.
If I wanted to survive,if I wanted to prove them all wrong,it was up to me.
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, smearing dirt and tears across my skin. My heart still ached, my chest still felt hollow, but I was still here.
“Fine,” I whispered to the night. “If this is who I’m supposed to be, then so be it.”
They could laugh. They could mock. They could tear me down.
But they wouldn’t break me.
