The Rejected Plump Mate, Now Wanted

4: Mate

Aurora

It’s almost noon by the time I left my quarters. The evening air was warm and cozy, sending a slight chill down my spine.

I stood alongside the other omegas that had assembled to welcome Alpha Lucas’s first son, Damian.

Rumor had it that he had been out of the pack for almost five years. They said he was cruel, ruthless, and hardened, but also calmly good-looking. They also whispered how the two brothers were like opposite sides of a coin and never ever associated openly. I didn’t know much about the history because all my life I had been secluded from social life and hardly left the house except on errands.

The rumors also had it that the chaos between the two brothers took a cruel turn four years ago, and ever since, Damian had vowed not to return home, up until now.

As I stood with my head bowed, that citrus and mint scent wrapped around me. I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to notice someone was watching me intensely, relentlessly.

Do rejected mates still feel that pull between them?

The loud cheers of the omegas snapped me out of my reverie as I lifted my eyes to the most amazing set of blue eyes I had ever met stepping out of the SUV, suddenly fixed on mine.

He had messy dark hair styled to the back, a sharp jawline, strong muscles stretching beneath a tailored suit. His shoes shone, a glistening dark blend that fit the color of his suit perfectly.

As if on cue, the evening air blew, sending a few strands of hair brushing against his face as well as mine, but like me, he didn't bother taking it off as our eyes entangled with each other.

Overall, he was breathtaking, the kind any lady would drool over without a second thought. No wonder they said he was carved from the finest of beauty herself. I smiled unknowingly when he looked away for only a brief second, but what unsettled me more was the sudden purr of Kiara in my head.

For the first time in a week, she was alive, but not fully back, and that excitement would have been short-lived when she muttered,

"Mate."

My breath shattered, and my body shook violently.

"Mate."

Keira howled again in my head. The world seemed to be at a standstill.

I couldn't have been more blown away when I lifted my gaze one more time to his sharp glare. His eyes turned into something smug, dangerously close to disappointment, disgust, and something else I couldn't yet place, causing me to look away quickly.

My heart was more shattered than ever.

I managed to stand through the entire welcome assembly, feeling his cold, disappointed eyes wander over me at intervals, like they could cave holes through my body. Somewhere in the same hall, another pair of eyes sized me up as well. Liam. I could only have wished the gathering would wrap so I could flee the suffocating atmosphere, or that the floor would open and swallow me whole.

Back in my room, I dropped onto the floor as it all crashed down on me.

How cruel can fate ever turn?

I had never thought I would have a second chance mate this soon after what I suffered with Liam's rejection. Not to mention one rudely and undeniably connected to my ex, the same whose gaze burned holes into my skin without warning.

Doubt and sorrow twisted in my mind. I had convinced myself he would reject me without hesitation. He looked at me as though being mated to a lowly, plus-size omega was the greatest disappointment imaginable. Every line of his face screamed it.

What terrified me most was that this time… I wasn't sure I could survive the rejection.

"It's okay, Aurora," Keira encouraged, her voice low and still picking up. "I believe the moon has something great in store for us; that's why she's given us a second chance soon."

"Didn't you see the way he sized me up? The hurt and disappointment in his eyes when he sensed I was his mate?"

"I know. I saw it too. But why not hold on and see how it turns out?" she said softly. "I'm sure the moon couldn't be wrong this time." She encouraged, finally curling back up inside my head.

Morning came. All omegas, along with the rest of the pack, were called to the grand hall. Alpha Lucas would finally reveal what had long been awaited.

Everyone feared the inevitable, but not me. All that filled my mind was the rejection to follow. I had made up my mind to beg Damian to give us time to heal properly before he rejected us. At least that way, my wolf would have regained enough strength to withstand the pain and pick herself up one more time.

I had arrived at the hall through the back door to inspect if the omegas were through with the decorations so we, the kitchen omegas, could proceed with the dishes.

"Why are you standing there? Aren't you supposed to go help the other omegas in the kitchen instead of wasting idle time?"

I turned on my feet and hurried toward the back door, but as I took two steps outside, a strong grip held me back. Heat immediately curled up my spine, and I jerked.

"Or…" his lips curled into a knowing smirk, "you finally learned your place and figured out how worthless it could feel, rejected by your mate, still watching them screw up right in front of you?"

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat tightening as years of agony, suffering, and secret hurts rose to the surface.

"What do you want from me… Alpha Liam?"

He burst into laughter, glaring into my eyes smugly. "It should be, what other hurting things can I do to make up for your past sins?"

My brows knitted in confusion. "Past sins?" The words left me before I could stop them.

"I did nothing to you in the past, Alpha Liam. And with all due respect, I never asked my parents to get indebted to you, nor did I ask them to use me as a commodity to sort out whatever difference you had."

"Yet you act like you don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Well, I don't have the luxury of time to waste on you." His eyes rolled from my head down to my toes. "You are never worth the peace, and the moment you start doubling your efforts in the packhouse, the better it turns for you, that's if you ever have a chance at peace again."

With that being said, Liam turned out through the door and disappeared into the hall. I couldn't even begin to count the series of pains that shot through me. He accused me of hurting him in the past, yet I had no knowledge of what he meant.

I wasn't the type my family paraded as their chosen daughter; it was so hard to leave the house unless assigned with activities. Then how could I have past sins or a record, as he had so outrightly stated?

I had barely processed the thoughts when it hit me that Mia was waiting and the party would start in a pretty short time without the dishes served and ready.

I had barely stepped three feet ahead when that intoxicating, rich wooden scent hit me hard. It couldn't have been the right time to reject me? was the only line my broken heart could mutter.

I turned just in time. Due to how terrified I was, I didn't even realize he was walking straight toward me and was standing just two steps away until I stumbled into a strong chest that buzzed heavily.

My eyes widened and my body shook violently when that intoxicating, rich scent swept through every nerve ending, both pulsating, mesmerizing, and to mention the least.

My brain cells went into an automatic standstill as my body stilled under his suffocating and commanding presence.

Alpha Damian.

His gaze burned intensely into mine, with something far more intense I couldn't yet place, maybe due to the panic state of my chest.

It couldn't have been the right time to reject me, right?