4
1378 Words
Jane
I could feel everyone's eyes on me, burning into my skin like brands. My wolf should have been howling inside me, fighting to protect what was ours.
But there was only silence. An emptiness that echoed with every beat of my racing heart.
I knew what I should do—fight back, let anger take over the hurt, walk away with whatever dignity I had left.
But I couldn't. Because losing him meant losing my last bit of hope—not just for a mate, but for the missing half of my soul that I'd been searching for my whole life.
I swallowed what was left of my pride. Closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. And dropped to my knees. The cold floor hurt, but not nearly as much as my heart.
"Accept me, please."
He stood over me like a giant, filling up all the space where my wolf should have been. I hated how much I needed him, even when he looked at me like I was garbage.
"Oh. A worthless girl like you thinks she deserves to be my mate. Pathetic. Desperate. Crawling on the floor just to wear a Luna's crown."
"No, it's not about the title." My voice was breaking apart. "It was never about that."
"Then what?" His smile was cruel and cold. "Maybe you just want me to use you before I throw you away like the trash you are?"
I felt like I was burning alive with shame. I wanted to disappear, to sink into the floor and never come back. I could hear people whispering louder all around me.
But he wasn't finished.
"That's it, isn't it? You want me to use you before you crawl away and accept my rejection. One taste before you're nothing again."
"Stop, please." My voice broke completely. Tears poured down my face. "Please, just stop."
"I know what you want," he kept going. "I saw how you stared at me when I walked in. Like a starving dog looking at fresh meat."
My face was on fire. "I couldn't help it. I'm not like that, I swear. When I saw you, something inside me knew you were mine. Something broken recognized what it was missing."
His eyes met mine, and for just one second I thought he might understand—only to see that he found me worthless.
"Shut up and accept my rejection," he snarled. "My time is worth more than this pathetic show."
I forced myself to stand up. My legs were shaking, but I looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry. I can't accept your rejection."
"What the hell did you just say?" He grabbed my wrist so hard it hurt. For one stolen moment, I felt the mate bond flare up—beautiful, terrible, everything I was about to lose. "Why can't you just disappear like the mistake you are?"
"I can't accept it because I have no wolf," I confessed.
His face changed—confusion, then disgust, then horror.
"What did you say?"
"I don't have a wolf," I repeated. "Not yet. Maybe never. If you rejected me like this, it wouldn't just break my heart. It would kill me. Actually kill me."
He threw my wrist away like it had burned him. "You're lying."
"I hoped—" My throat felt tight. "I thought meeting you might wake her up. I believed our connection could make me whole. You were supposed to save me from this emptiness."
"Save you?" He laughed, harsh and cruel. "You're not just worthless—you're crazy. Nothing will ever change what you are, broken girl. You'll spend your whole miserable life incomplete."
His words wrapped around my throat like a rope, choking me.
"Listen carefully. Don't ever let me see your pathetic face again. Pretend I don't exist. Pretend this never happened. Pretend you're not the cosmic joke you clearly are."
My whole body shook so hard I could barely breathe. Pain spread like fire through every part of me.
This was supposed to be the best day of my life. Instead, it destroyed me completely.
What had I done so wrong that even the Moon Goddess was punishing me like this?
Then I saw my mother pushing through the crowd, her face a storm of anger and love. A tiny spark of hope flickered. Someone was coming to save me.
She stepped between us, small but fierce as a lioness protecting her cub. "How dare you hurt my daughter, Alpha? How dare you make my baby cry?"
"Who the hell are you?" He ran a hand through his hair, clearly annoyed. "Get out of my way."
"I am her mother." Her voice burned with pride and fury. "And I will die before I let you destroy my girl."
He chuckled, cold and dismissive.
"You're the mother of this broken thing, and you're proud of it? Pathetic. Take your disgusting daughter and crawl back to whatever hole you came from."
A deep growl split the air. My heart jumped. Father. Finally, he would defend me. Finally, he would stand up for his daughter.
"Alpha," Father's voice boomed across the room. "I don't care what you do with my daughter. Reject her, hurt her, throw her away—whatever brings you peace. But don't you dare disrespect my mate."
Hope didn't just die inside me. It rotted, poisoning everything good I had left. Of course it wasn't about me. Even now, I was invisible to my own father.
"No offense to your mate, Beta," the Alpha said coolly. "I'm sure she earned your love. But why should I accept a girl with nothing to offer? A girl so broken I doubt she's even your blood."
"Some burdens can't be escaped," Father sighed heavily. My entire life reduced to a burden. "That's why I supported your choice. If I could, I would have rejected her as my daughter long ago."
The words didn't just hurt. They carved me out from the inside, left me dying while still breathing.
"What are you saying?" Mother cried out, her fury blazing like fire. "I'm standing right here, alive and breathing. How dare you take his side against our daughter? The Moon Goddess gave my daughter this worthless Alpha as a mate, and you dare speak against her? You're both trash!" Her scream tore through the air. "You both make me sick!"
"Watch your mouth," the Alpha growled, his eyes turning predatory. "I won't tolerate disrespect."
"Tame your woman, Beta, or I'll do it for you."
"You are no Alpha of mine," Mother spat, grabbing his shirt with both hands. "My daughter is worth a thousand of you."
"Let. Go. Of. Me."
"Never!" she howled. "She is my heart walking outside my body. She is everything good in this world."
"Enough!" Father roared. "Stop defending that mistake!"
"I'd rather die," Mother hissed back at him, "than stop protecting my daughter."
"Let go before I kill you," the Alpha threatened.
"Mother, please." My sobs cracked the air. "Let go. Don't die for me. I'm not worth it."
Finally, she let go of the Alpha and turned to face my father, her face carved with pain. "Get ready, Beta. I'm going to reject you. You're going to learn what it feels like to be thrown away by someone who should love you unconditionally."
"You can't do that, Clara." For the first time, I heard fear in my father's voice.
Mother's smile was cold as ice. Her words dropped like a death sentence.
"I, Clara Diamond, reject you as my mate and my Beta."
Father's face twisted through anger, shock, and then pure fear.
"Accept my rejection. Now!" Her eyes blazed with power. It was the first time I'd ever seen my mother like this—strong, fierce, unbreakable.
He stumbled toward her, reaching for her hands. She pulled away from him.
"I can't accept it. I won't!" he shouted, falling to his knees in front of everyone. "Don't do this, Clara. I love you."
She felt nothing for his pain. She turned away, her voice sharp as a blade. "Accept it."
"No!"
"Feel it," she said with a cold smile. "Feel what it means to have your mate reject you, Beta. Feel what you put your daughter through."
- Writer
