Rejected, Yet Chosen

Chapter Five- Roots & Secrets

The forest welcomed them like an old friend.

Melina and Tara walked in silence until the packhouse faded behind them, the familiar path winding toward a massive oak with branches so wide they once felt like arms. It was their tree. The one they’d climbed as pups, the one they hid behind when they skipped chores, the one that had held their whispered dreams and childish promises.

Melina reached out and pressed her palm against the rough bark, grounding herself as memories washed over her.

Here, she finally let herself breathe.

Tara leaned against the trunk, watching her carefully. “Okay,” she said softly. “Now tell me what’s really going on.”

Melina swallowed, heart hammering. Her wolf, Aris, curled inward, quiet and wounded.

“I found my mate,” Melina admitted.

Tara’s eyes widened. “You—what?” A smile tugged at her lips before confusion replaced it. “Wait. Who?”

Melina’s mouth opened.

Then closed.

The words felt heavy. Shameful. Dangerous.

She stared at the forest floor, torn between protecting the truth and trusting the one person who had never failed her. Finally, her voice came out barely above a whisper.

“It’s Titus.”

The silence that followed was deadly.

Tara’s head snapped up. “Titus?” she repeated, disbelief hardening into fury. “The Alpha Titus?”

Melina nodded once, tears burning but refusing to fall. “He felt it. I know he did. Our wolves… they claimed each other. But he didn’t move. He didn’t say anything.”

Tara straightened abruptly, hands curling into fists. “That bastard—”

“Tara,” Melina warned.

“I’ll skin him,” Tara growled. “I don’t care if he’s the Alpha. You don’t reject your mate like that. Especially not you.”

Melina stepped forward, gripping Tara’s arms firmly. “Stop. I mean it.” Her voice shook, but her eyes were steady. “I’m a big girl. I can handle this.”

Tara searched her face, anger warring with concern before she finally exhaled sharply and looked away. “I just hate seeing you hurt.”

“So do I,” Melina whispered.

They sat at the base of the tree like they had a hundred times before, shoulders brushing, the world quieter here.

After a moment, Tara asked gently, “What are you going to do?”

Melina stared out at the forest, feeling the faint pull of a bond she wasn’t sure she was allowed to want.

“Nothing,” she said honestly. “Not yet.”

Tara frowned. “Nothing?”

“I’ll wait,” Melina replied. “If he truly rejected me, I’ll survive it. But if he hasn’t… then the next move is his.”

Aris stirred softly inside her, uncertain but trusting.

“I won’t chase him,” Melina added quietly. “If Titus wants to deny the bond, he’ll have to say it to my face.”

The ancient oak stood silent above them, roots deep and unyielding.

Just like Melina would have to be.