chapter 2
1301 Words
Chapter 2 – Aftermath of the Rejection
Serena’s POV
The whispers didn’t stop.
Even after Christopher stormed away, even after his wolf’s savage snarl echoed across the night, the pack’s voices filled the air like daggers in my skin.
“She didn’t accept the rejection? What a fool she is.”
“She’s humiliating herself even more.”
“Did you see how Cassandra stood by his side? That must be the real Luna.”
Their laughter burned hotter than fire. My chest was so tight, I thought my ribs would shatter, my heart hurt badly. My legs felt weak, but I forced them to move.
One step. Another. Anywhere but here. Away from those mocking gazes.
But Cassandra’s voice followed me, sweet and sharp.
“Oh, Serena… you poor thing.” She moved closer, her perfume suffocating me. “You must be so… confused. The bond can be tricky for omegas. Sometimes it makes us believe things that aren’t real.”
Her hand brushed my arm, mock-gentle. “But don’t worry. Christopher is just protecting you. Life as Luna would be… far too heavy for someone like you. You can not handle such burdens.”
The pack chuckled at her words. My vision blurred with tears, humiliation boiling inside me. I wanted to scream, to claw her perfect face, to tear away her fake sympathy.
But my voice cracked as I whispered, “Leave me alone, Cassandra.”
Cassandra smiled sweetly, tilting her head like a predator pretending to be kind. “Of course, darling. I just thought you’d appreciate honesty and sympathy.”
Her words dripped venom, each one coiling tighter around my heart and I felt like bleeding from heart.
I stumbled away, my breath coming in sharp gasps. The world around me blurred as the laughter grew louder. My wolf whimpered inside me, clawing against the rejection, the humiliation, the fire still burning from that single touch.
Christopher’s touch.
Why did it still feel like heaven even when he made it hell?
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Christopher’s POV
I slammed my fists against the stone wall of my chambers, the sound echoing through the halls.
My wolf paced inside me, snarling, restless, furious.
You fool. You hurt her. She’s ours.
“She’s weak,” I snapped aloud, though no one was there. “She can’t be Luna. She doesn’t belong beside me.”
Lies. My wolf’s growl shook my bones. You felt her. You wanted her. You still do.
I closed my eyes, cursing under my breath. The memory of her beautiful wide, tear-filled eyes gutted me. The sparks when I touched her still burned under my skin. Her defiance—the way she said no, the way she refused my rejection—it drove me insane.
I wanted to claim her right there, in front of everyone. To mark her until no one could doubt who she belonged to.
But pride is a cruel master. And the pack was watching.
If I claimed an omega, they would see me as weak. They would whisper. Doubt. Challenge me.
I couldn’t afford that. Not now. Not ever.
“Christopher…” Cassandra’s voice broke through my thoughts. She slid into the room, closing the door softly behind her. “You did the right thing.”
Her tone was gentle, but her eyes glittered with satisfaction. She moved closer, brushing her hand against my arm. “The pack needs a Luna who’s strong. Who’s… fitting.”
Her touch left me cold. My wolf growled in warning.
I jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”
Cassandra blinked, feigning hurt. “I was only trying to comfort you.”
“I don’t need your comfort,” I snapped. My voice was harsher than intended, but I didn’t care.
Because the truth was, I didn’t need Cassandra. I needed the girl I had just destroyed.
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Serena’s POV
I ran.
The laughter chased me, the whispers clung to me, Cassandra’s words echoed in my head. My chest burned as I burst through the pack’s grounds and into the forest.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, hot and relentless. My wolf howled inside me, broken, desperate, clawing toward the bond we couldn’t deny.
Don’t leave him. Don’t let go.
But how could I stay?
He rejected me. Publicly. Brutally.
I stumbled against a tree, clutching the bark to steady myself. My sobs shook me so violently I could barely breathe. The sparks still danced across my skin, cruel reminders of what I could never have.
“Why, Goddess, why?” I whispered into the night. “Why him? Why give me a mate who doesn’t want me?”
The forest gave no answer. Only silence.
But then—
A low growl vibrated through the air.
I froze. My heart slammed in my chest. I turned slowly, and there he was.
Christopher.
His golden eyes glowed in the moonlight, his chest heaving as if he had run after me. His wolf was close to the surface, wild and furious.
“What are you doing here?” My voice cracked, my tears still fresh.
He stepped closer, dominance rolling off him in waves. “You ran. I couldn’t—” He cut himself off, his jaw clenching.
“You couldn’t what?” My voice rose, broken and raw. “You couldn’t let me go? Even after you humiliated me in front of the entire pack?”
His gaze flickered, torn. “Serena…”
The way he said my name made my knees weaken. His voice was rough, strained, almost… desperate.
I shook my head, tears spilling again. “Stop. Don’t say my name like that. You can’t reject me and then chase me.”
He was close now, too close. His heat wrapped around me, the sparks flaring so violently I almost collapsed. My wolf whined, begging to close the distance.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?” My voice cracked, my chest heaving. “You shattered me, Christopher. You stood there and told everyone I wasn’t good enough. That I could never stand beside you. Do you know how that feels?”
His hand shot out, gripping my arm, pulling me against him. Sparks exploded, a firestorm between us. My breath hitched as I looked up into his burning eyes.
“It feels the same way it does to me,” he growled. His voice was raw, tortured. “Because rejecting you is killing me.”
I gasped, my tears freezing. “Then why—”
“Because you’ll never understand,” he cut me off, his grip trembling. “Because I can’t let myself want you. Not when the pack—”
I shoved him back, fury sparking through my pain. “Don’t you dare blame the pack. This is you. You chose to humiliate me. You chose to reject me.”
His nostrils flared, his chest rising and falling like a storm. “You think this is easy for me? You think I don’t feel this bond ripping me apart?”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding so violently it hurt. “Then stop fighting it.”
The silence between us crackled with heat and pain. His wolf snarled inside him, his eyes glowing brighter, his hands twitching as if he wanted to pull me back.
For a moment, I thought he would.
For a moment, I thought he would kiss me, claim me, burn away the humiliation he had branded me with.
But instead, he turned sharply, his voice rough. “Go home, Serena. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
And with that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me shattered all over again.
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Serena collapses alone in the forest, broken but still tethered to the bond. Christopher walks away, but his wolf refuses to let go.
- Writer
