REJECTED AND REBORN

Mira knew she was dying. It wasn’t sudden. It wasn’t loud. Death came slowly, like a quiet punishment that refused to end. She lay on the cold floor of the small, empty room they had thrown her into, her body trembling as another wave of pain hit her chest. It felt like something inside her was being torn apart piece by piece. Her fingers curled weakly against the rough ground, nails scraping against stone as she tried to breathe through it. It didn’t work. The broken mate bond was killing her. Slowly. Cruelly. “Please…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Just… stop…” But nothing stopped. The pain only grew stronger. Outside the door, she could hear voices. Laughter. Footsteps passing by without care. No one came in. No one checked on her. They all knew she was dying. They didn’t care. Mira let out a weak, shaky breath and closed her eyes for a moment. The darkness behind her eyelids brought memories she didn’t want—but couldn’t escape. That day. That moment. The day everything ended. She could still see it clearly. The pack gathered in the courtyard. Everyone watching. Everyone waiting. And him… standing in front of her like she meant nothing. “Mira,” Rhys had said, his voice cold, distant, like he was speaking to a stranger. “I, Alpha Rhys, reject you as my mate.” The words had hit harder than any physical pain. She remembered how her knees almost gave out, how her heart felt like it had stopped beating. “No…” she had whispered back then, shaking her head. “Rhys… don’t do this…” But he didn’t even look at her properly. Instead, he reached for another woman. Lena. His childhood sweetheart. The one he had always loved. “I choose her,” he said, pulling Lena closer as if Mira had never existed. “She is the one I want.” The silence that followed was heavy. Then came the whispers. The stares. The judgment. Mira remembered how she stood there, humiliated, her chest burning as the bond between them cracked and broke. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t quick. It felt like something inside her was being ripped out, leaving nothing behind. And still… she didn’t fight back. She didn’t scream. She didn’t hate him. Not then. “I accept…” she had said, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes. “I accept your rejection…” That was the moment her life ended. Everything after that… was just suffering. A weak cough escaped her lips, dragging her back to the present. Mira opened her eyes slowly, staring at the cracked ceiling above her. It was blurry now. Everything was. Her body felt colder. Heavier. Like she was already halfway gone. The door suddenly creaked open, and light spilled into the room. Mira flinched slightly, her eyes struggling to adjust. Two women stood at the entrance. They were pack members. She recognized them, even in her state. “Is she still alive?” one of them asked, her tone bored. Mira tried to speak, but no sound came out. The second woman stepped closer, looking down at her with clear disgust. “Barely. She looks terrible.” A small, weak breath escaped Mira’s lips. She wanted to ask for help. Just a little. Just something to ease the pain. But the way they looked at her… it stopped her. “Should we call someone?” the first one asked. The second woman snorted softly. “For what? She’s already gone. The Alpha made his choice.” Mira’s fingers twitched slightly at those words. The Alpha. Rhys. Even now, even at the end… everything came back to him. “She should have known her place,” the woman continued. “Trying to act like a Luna when she was never truly wanted.” A soft laugh followed. “Exactly. Lena fits better anyway. Everyone can see that.” Mira shut her eyes tightly, her chest tightening again. The pain wasn’t just physical anymore. It was deeper than that. It was everything. The love she gave. The loyalty. The years she spent by his side. None of it mattered. To him… to them… she was nothing. “Let’s go,” the first woman said after a moment. “There’s no point staying here.” “Yeah. She’ll be dead soon anyway.” The door closed again, and the room fell back into silence. Mira lay there, unmoving. Tears slipped quietly from the corners of her eyes, soaking into the cold floor beneath her. So this was how it ended. Not as a Luna. Not as someone loved. But as someone abandoned… forgotten. A small, broken laugh escaped her lips, though it barely made a sound. “How… pathetic…” she whispered. Her breathing grew slower. Weaker. Each breath felt like a struggle she was losing. Her mind drifted again, but this time, it wasn’t just pain. It was regret. So much regret. If she had known… If she had seen the truth earlier… If she had just walked away… “I was stupid…” she murmured, her voice fading. “So… stupid…” Another wave of pain hit her, sharper than before, and her body jerked slightly. This time, she didn’t fight it. She didn’t try to hold on. There was nothing left to hold on to. No one. Just darkness waiting. Her lips parted slightly as she took one last, shaky breath. “If I had another chance…” she whispered, her voice almost gone, “I would never choose him…” The words lingered in the quiet room. Then… nothing. Her body went still. The pain disappeared. And Mira died.