The Rejection
1085 Words
The entire pack was watching me.
Hundreds of wolves stood beneath the silver moon, gathered around the ancient stone altar in the center of Blackthorn territory.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.
The Choosing Ceremony happened only once every generation.
Tonight, every unmated wolf would discover their destined partner.
And I had spent years secretly praying that mine would be Adrian Blackthorn.
The Alpha.
The strongest wolf in the Northern Territories.
The man I had loved since I was sixteen.
My hands trembled as I stepped forward.
The Elder placed two fingers against my forehead.
“Close your eyes, Isabella.”
I obeyed.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then—
A burning sensation exploded through my chest.
I gasped.
The scent of pine and winter filled my lungs.
My wolf suddenly screamed inside my head.
Mate.
My eyes flew open.
Across the ceremony grounds, Adrian was staring directly at me.
His face had gone completely pale.
The mark on my wrist began glowing silver.
A gasp swept through the crowd.
“The bond!”
“She found her mate!”
“Who is it?”
I already knew.
I slowly turned toward Adrian.
Our eyes met.
For one beautiful second, I thought the world had finally given me everything I had ever wanted.
Then Adrian walked toward me.
One step.
Two.
Three.
My smile grew wider.
Maybe he was nervous.
Maybe he was shocked.
Maybe—
He stopped directly in front of me.
His expression was cold.
“Isabella Hart.”
My heart skipped.
“Yes?”
He looked at the glowing mark on my wrist.
Then he looked into my eyes.
And said the words that shattered my entire world.
“I reject you as my mate.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
I couldn't breathe.
Someone behind me whispered, “What?”
The Elder's face changed.
“Alpha, are you certain?”
Adrian didn't even hesitate.
“I am.”
My wolf whimpered.
A sharp pain tore through my chest.
I grabbed my heart.
“Adrian…”
He looked away from me.
“I will not accept an Omega as my Luna.”
The words hit harder than the rejection itself.
An Omega.
That was all I was to him.
Weak.
Unworthy.
Embarrassing.
Tears filled my eyes.
“But we're mates.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because being my mate doesn't make you worthy of standing beside me.”
A few people in the crowd laughed.
My cheeks burned.
I looked around.
People I had grown up with were staring at me.
Some were laughing.
Some looked sorry for me.
Others looked disgusted.
I wanted the ground to swallow me.
The Elder stepped toward Adrian.
“Once a mate is rejected, the bond will cause severe pain to both parties.”
“I accept the consequences.”
Adrian's eyes remained cold.
Then he looked at me one final time.
“Find another wolf.”
My heart cracked.
My wolf screamed.
And then the bond broke.
Pain exploded through my entire body.
I fell to my knees.
Someone screamed.
But I couldn't hear them.
Everything became a blur.
The moon.
The people.
The altar.
Adrian.
Everything disappeared behind the tears in my eyes.
Five years later, I would remember this moment.
Not because it destroyed me.
But because it was the moment Isabella Hart died.
And the woman who replaced her...
Would become the one person Adrian Blackthorn could never control.
I woke up three days later.
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
The second was the pain.
My body felt like it had been crushed beneath a mountain.
I opened my eyes.
My bedroom ceiling stared back at me.
My mother sat beside my bed.
Her eyes were red.
“Bella?”
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
She immediately grabbed my hand.
“Don't move.”
“Where's Adrian?”
The moment I said his name, my mother's expression changed.
She looked away.
That was when I understood.
He hadn't come.
Not once.
Not even after nearly killing me with the rejection.
I turned my head toward the window.
Snow covered the mountains outside.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I want to leave.”
She froze.
“Leave where?”
“Anywhere.”
“Bella, you're still weak.”
“I don't care.”
Tears rolled down my face.
“I can't stay here.”
My mother squeezed my hand.
“What about your pack?”
I laughed bitterly.
“My pack watched him reject me.”
I looked toward the window again.
“And nobody stopped him.”
My mother didn't answer.
That silence told me everything.
I pulled the blanket away.
“Help me pack.”
“Bella—”
“Please.”
My voice broke.
“I don't want to be Isabella Hart anymore.”
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then she nodded.
That night, I left Blackthorn territory.
No goodbye.
No ceremony.
No one knew where I was going.
And I made myself one promise.
I would never return.
Five years later.
The doors of Blackthorn Tower opened.
A woman wearing a black designer suit stepped inside.
Every employee turned to look.
She walked confidently across the marble floor.
Her heels echoed through the lobby.
A receptionist hurried toward her.
“Ma'am, do you have an appointment?”
The woman removed her sunglasses.
Her eyes were cold.
“Tell Adrian Blackthorn that Isabella Hart is here.”
The receptionist froze.
For the first time in five years...
Someone had spoken that name inside Blackthorn territory.
And upstairs, in the Alpha's office, Adrian suddenly felt the old scar on his chest burn.
He stood up.
His wolf began growling.
Mate.
Adrian's face went pale.
Impossible.
He had rejected her five years ago.
She was gone.
Dead, according to everyone.
Then his office doors opened.
And Isabella Hart walked inside.
Alive.
Beautiful.
Powerful.
And completely indifferent to him.
Adrian stared at her.
“Bella?”
She smiled.
But there was no warmth in it.
“It's Miss Hart now.”
His wolf roared.
MATE.
Isabella placed a folder on his desk.
“We have business to discuss, Alpha.”
Adrian couldn't move.
Because for the first time in five years...
He realized something terrifying.
He had made the biggest mistake of his life.
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