The Forgotten Mate

Chapter 1: Celeste's POV

The wind feels cold against my skin. Not the kind that sends shivers through your body, but the kind that reminds you of how alone you really are. The kind that cuts through the soul.

I never wanted this. Not the rejection, not the humiliation—certainly not the emptiness that sits in the pit of my stomach, growing heavier with every step.

Ryker stands tall in front of me. Alpha. Powerful. A man who once made me believe in everything. But those eyes... they aren’t soft anymore. Not for me.

I wonder if they ever were.

I can still remember the way my momma used to brush my hair, telling me stories of fate, of love, of mates. “One day, Celeste, you’ll find him. The one who will make you feel complete, as if the stars themselves blessed your soul.”

I thought she was right.

Thought Ryker was the answer.

I laugh bitterly to myself. Loud enough that I feel eyes on me. The whole pack is here, watching, waiting for their show. It’s a cruel thing, this ceremony. Public rejection. Like a wolf being left to starve, cast out from the warmth of the den.

"I, Ryker Black, reject you, Celeste Rain, as my fated mate," he says steadily, looking indifferent.

Indifferent.

He used to call me "Cee." That boyish, playful tone when we’d sneak off as kids, daring each other to shift, to run wild behind the trees. He wasn't always like this—this cold Alpha, this untouchable figure. Once, he was mine.

But now? Now he stands with Enara by his side, her hand brushing his, claiming him like a prize she’s won. She isn’t like me. Stronger. Sharper. Everything Ryker needs for his legacy.

My chest tightens, but I swallow the pain. The rejection burns through my veins, like fire, like poison. But what hurts more—more than his words, more than his coldness—is the way he looks at her. Like I never even existed.

I want to hate him. Maybe I do.

But deep down, buried under all the hurt and pride, there’s still that little girl who thought we’d grow old together, who believed in happy endings. It’s laughable now.

The pack looks on. Some are relieved—Celeste the weak one, the one who couldn’t give Ryker what he needed. Others… they pity me. I feel their stares, but I don’t care. Not anymore.

“Do you accept, Celeste?”

His voice cuts through the silence. The formality. He still has to ask.

I could say no. Drag it out. Make him suffer the way he’s made me suffer. But I won’t. I won’t give him the satisfaction of thinking I care.

“I accept your rejection, Ryker,” I say as steadily as he spoke—colder than I thought I could muster.

His eyes flicker, just for a moment. A c***k in the armor? Or is that wishful thinking?

I don’t wait to find out.

I turn and walk away, leaving the whispers, the stares, the humiliation behind me. Or at least I try to. Because in truth, I’m still carrying all of it with me. Every last piece.

Rejection is supposed to free you. Break the bond. Set you on a new path.

But it doesn’t feel like freedom.

It feels like the end.

©©©

As I step away from the packhouse, the memories of our past flood me. The first time I saw Ryker, how he stood out even back then. The way his laughter filled the air when we raced through the woods. He was my best friend, my first love, my only love.

But life doesn’t care about love, does it?

He chose power. He chose status. He chose her.

I never stood a chance. Not really.

I pause, looking back one last time. Ryker’s tall and imposing silhouette is still there, watching me walk away. And beside him, Enara. My replacement.

But they don’t know.

They don’t know what I’ve become.

And maybe one day he’ll regret this. Regret losing me.

Maybe.

But for now, I’m the one who has to live with it.

©Ryker©

I watch her walk away. Celeste.

It’s strange, the feeling that creeps up inside me. Something I didn’t expect. Regret? Guilt?

No, it can’t be. I made my choice. I’m Alpha. I don’t regret anything.

But as her figure disappears into the darkness, I can’t shake the thought that I just let something important slip through my fingers.

“She’s weak, Ryker. You did the right thing.”

Enara’s soft and sultry voice slides into my ear like a reminder of why I made this decision. She’s the one I’m supposed to be with. The strong one. The one who can lead by my side.

Yet the hollow feeling in my chest doesn’t ease.

“I know,” I respond, more to convince myself than her. I need to believe it. That Celeste wasn’t enough. That she wasn’t meant for this life, for this pack.

But the truth?

She was always enough.

I let my gaze drift toward the crowd—faces full of anticipation, some murmuring approval, others looking a bit too smug for my liking. They think this was easy. That I don’t feel a damn thing. They don’t know me.

Alpha. Strong. Unfeeling.

The weight of that title is like a huge rock on my shoulders. They all expect me to be this immovable figure, to do what’s best for the pack, no matter the cost. They don’t understand the sacrifices, the blood on my hands, the scars that never heal.

I didn’t want to reject her. Celeste. God, we were just kids when we first met, and she was everything then. She was the only thing.

But this isn’t about us anymore. This is about the future. The future of my pack, of my legacy. And Enara... she offers the kind of strength Celeste couldn’t.

Right?

“Ryker?”

Enara’s hand finds mine, tugging at my attention. Her touch is cold, even though she looks at me like I’m the center of her world. But it’s not a soft look. What's the opposite of soft? No, ‘hard’ can't describe it. There’s just something in her eyes that unsettles me.

For the first time, I wonder if I’m making the right choice.

“Let’s go,” I mutter, pulling away from the crowd. The decision I just made follows me with every step, but I push it down, shove it deep. No room for weakness now.

Not when I need to prove myself.

©©©

©Celeste©

I’m far enough away now. Far enough that I can breathe, but the air doesn’t fill my lungs right. It’s like something’s lodged in my chest.

I thought I’d be numb by now, after all this time. But rejection isn’t something you get used to. It hits hard, like the first cut of a blade. It’s too sharp and clean. And no matter how much you prepare yourself, it always stings.

The pack doesn’t care. They’ll move on. Ryker will move on.

But me?

I’ve got nothing left but this aching, empty feeling where a bond once was.

I let my feet carry me away from the packhouse, further into the woods. It’s the only place I’ve ever felt at peace, where the noise of life, of rejection, fades away. The trees don’t judge. They don’t care. They just stand.

I wonder if Ryker’s already forgotten. Forgotten everything we were, everything we could’ve been. I’m nothing to him now. Just another name that fades into the pack’s history.

But maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be.

“Celeste.”

The voice stops me cold. Deep, familiar, but not the one I want to hear.

I turn and see him—Cain. Ryker’s beta. His second-in-command. His best friend.

I’ve always wondered what he thought about all this, about me. His eyes are hard to read, always guarded, always loyal to Ryker. But there’s something else there right now, something he’s never said.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Cain says, stepping closer. His accent is thick and guttural, almost like the earth itself is speaking through him. A rumbling sound that commands attention. “Not alone.”

That's right. I didn't see him in that ceremony I just shamefully walked away from. He wasn't there. So, does he know his best friend/Alpha just rejected me in front of the entire pack?

I want to tell him I don’t care, that I need to be alone. But the look on his face stops me. There’s something different in his expression tonight. Concern? Pity? Or maybe it’s something else entirely and I'm making it up.

“What do you want, Cain?” I ask and cross my arms in a bid to put up some kind of wall between us.

“I came to check on you,” he says simply. His eyes flicker to the ground for a moment, as if he’s uncomfortable with the words. “After everything...”

Oh, so he does know. He was there but I didn't see him then.

I scoff. “You mean after Ryker rejected me in front of the whole pack? Yeah, that was fun. Thanks for the concern.”

But Cain doesn’t flinch. He just watches me. His eyes narrow slightly as if he’s analyzing something. I don’t know what his angle is. He’s always been quiet, loyal, never stepping out of line. But tonight... tonight, something feels different.

“You don’t deserve this,” he mutters under his breath, almost like he didn’t mean for me to hear it.

“What?”

He shakes his head. “Ryker... he doesn’t always make the right choices.”

That catches me off guard. Cain? Questioning Ryker? That’s not something I expected.

“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, searching his face for answers. But Cain is like a stone wall, totally unreadable.

“I don’t know,” he admits in a murmur. “Maybe because you’re not as alone as you think.”

The words hit me harder than I expect. I’ve been alone for so long—alone in this pack, alone in my own mind—that I forgot what it feels like to have someone in my corner.

I don’t trust Cain. Not yet. But there’s a spark of something there, something I haven’t felt in a long time. And it’s enough to make me pause, to make me wonder what he’s really hiding.

Because in this pack, nothing is ever what it seems.