Betrayed And Rejected by My Alpha Mate

"It hurts," I sniffled, pushing back the tears from my eyes. "My chest hurts again." Some nights, I wondered if the moon remembered. Well, it had to. It saw everything that happened that night– how I stood there equivalent to a fool, heart torn open, pain clawing at my chest, and how he shattered me with just three words. "I reject you." It'd been years, but the pain still found me, curling around my ribs like smoke. I tried to forget, but some memories just didn’t fade. And tonight, the very chaos in my mind was keeping me from having peace. "When will it just stop hurting?" I sat on the floor of my cabin, knees pulled to my chest, watching the moonlight trickle in through glossy eyes. The very sight used to comfort me, but now? All it did was remind me of how cruel one's fate could be if the Moon Goddess had it that way. Back then, I was only seventeen. Just a young werewolf with too many wild dreams and fantasies. Fantasies of being the best Luna there could, ruling at the side of a mate who was obsessed with her. But yet again, fantasies were only just fantasies. I still remember the way my stomach flipped in excitement at the thought of being mated to the future Alpha. I prayed to the Moon Goddess giving her thanks that I’d be the chosen one. That for once in my life, I'd feel special. I didn't even want to wait until the mating ceremony to be in his arms. I wanted to be by his side as soon as possible, but it was a bad omen to meet your mate before due time. I didn’t believe in dumb superstitions though. So when I got a whiff of his scent near my quarters, of course I followed it with no thought. I followed it like it was my very lifeline. My feet barely touched the ground as I ran until my eyes fell over him at the training fields. Justin. My Justin—future alpha, pride of the Moonlight Pack. My heart stopped when our eyes met. I felt the bond snap into place like lightning, crackling through my bones. And for one stupid second... I thought he felt it too. I thought he couldn't wait to be with me as well. To also hold me close as we talked about the future. "Sophia? You couldn't even wait until the mating ceremony?" He said, and his voice was clear everyone was able to hear. "It's just," I fiddled with my fingers as heat crept into my cheeks. "I was wondering, if you couldn't wait to be with me too?" "What nonsense are you spewing?" He scoffed. My heart sank. "W–what?" "Fate must be broken Sophia." I didn’t understand. Not right away. But then he looked at me like I was dirt beneath his boots, and the words came sharp and final. "I reject you." My entire world felt like it was crashing at that moment. I remembered how people just stood there and stared. Some muttered low mocking remarks, mother's smirked like it was a joke they were in on. And he just stood there in silence, his gaze icy cold like I was nothing. Frankly, like I'd never been more than nothing. I ran. All I planned to do was run away and be free from the disturbing thoughts. I didn’t even remember how I returned to my room. I just noticed the sound of my wolf crying in my head, the way my chest felt like it had caved in. That night, I tore down every dream I’d ever built of being loved, of being chosen. Of belonging. After that, I became invisible. I stopped going to pack gatherings. I stayed out of the training fields. The whispers still found me, though. "She really thought she was his mate?" "What a joke. Like he’d ever accept someone like her." "Pathetic." I got used to pretending I couldn’t hear them. Some days I hated Justin. Other days, I hated myself more—for being too enthusiastic, for running off to meet him, for believing…for being weak enough to still feel the bond, even when he didn’t. I thought mate bonds were sacred, unbreakable. I didn’t know they could be ignored—tossed aside like it didn't exist. The worst part? My wolf never stopped loving him. And that’s what almost broke me. I begged her to let go. I tried everything—shifting, running, screaming into pillows, tearing his scent from my clothes. But every time I closed my eyes, I felt the space where he should have been. And, it pained me. Eventually, the pain dulled. It didn’t disappear, but it settled slightly. I told myself I’d be fine. That I didn’t need anyone. That being alone was safer. And three years later, I still believed part of that. "Being this way is for the best." I muttered as I forced myself to get into bed, only to pause at a knock on the door. I wasn't expecting anyone. When I opened it, my breath caught. Elijah. Justin’s best friend. The pack’s beta. I never thought that this man would ring the doorbell of all people, least of all looking at me with caring, warm...something I am unable to name. At first I thought I was not in my right mind. What would Elijah be doing here? He had always been loyal to Justin; they were practically brothers raised and bonded by the same training. If Justin stood for fire, Elijah stood for ice. He stood there on my patio, taking in my form and scanning with his eyes as if he could see every fault and mixture I tried to patch over. "Hey," he said, voice low. "Can I come in?" I didn't make a move. No was what everything inside me screamed. But there was something in his voice that made me turn back and let him in. He was quiet, taking it all in, surveying the tiny cabin as if he'd never seen where I lived. He probably hadn't. Hardly anyone visited me, and I never invited friends over. I stood at the window, arms crossed, motionless as I waited. Finally, he turned to me. "You looked... better than I expected." I raised my brows. "Thanks, I guess?" "I mean..." He rubbed the back of his neck, just a little strangely. "I didn't really know what state you were in." I retorted. "Three years late for a wellness check, don't you think?" He smiled a bit, and the smile was just a fading one, but it warmed something in me I didn't know still existed. "I should have come here," he said. "I really wanted to. But... Justin made it abundantly clear that you were off-limits. And I-nodded, listening. Just like everyone else." "I did." His eyes were steady. "And I regret it." That made me stop. The silence hanging turtle-paced between us strained the atmosphere; I had lost track of what he wanted from me-pity, forgiveness, closure? He stepped forward; "What happened to you, you did not deserve, Sophia. And I think stronger than anyone in that pack gives you credit for." I stared at the air. That was the first time since a while I have heard my name called Before I could speak at all, he added, almost whispering, "I don't know if I should be here. But I had to just try." For the first time in a long time, I felt something thaw deep within-the ice within me cracked just a bit.