Rejected By Fate, Bound By Blood

Chapter 2: The Rejection

Vaelora

The ride was quiet. Only the sound of the wheels filled the night.

It was a full moon, and I didn't know why the nerves I was feeling were becoming worse by the minute.

My palms were sweating. The gown felt way too heavy. I just felt so uncomfortable.

I wanted to come out and just walk, but the distance was way too far, and if I tried that, I would arrive there when everyone might have gone.

So, I just stayed put.

Maybe this was how everyone felt during the time of their mating ceremony, I guess.

I just tried thinking of anything that was going to get my mind off what I was feeling because it was a whole lot, and I just wanted to be able to breathe.

But that's really too much to ask.

It wasn't long after that we arrived at what looked like a ball.

Well, this wasn't what I was expecting.

The doors were opened for me, and I stepped down gently.

The coachman took my hand in his.

"You look so beautiful," he complimented as he led me inside.

"Thank you," I said with a forced smile.

Everywhere was packed.

Different carriages, the sound of music coming from inside.

I was so overwhelmed because this wasn't what I had envisioned.

I knew it was going to be big. For crying out loud, Alaric was the Alpha of this pack, but I didn't know it was going to be this big.

I didn't know this many people were going to be in attendance.

The coachman let go of my hand when I stepped in front of the entrance, and the moment I stepped in, whispers erupted.

The music died down just a little bit, and from where I stood, I could see Alaric.

Just seeing him alone made me feel like I could finally breathe.

He was dressed in all black.

He looked so elegant.

I quickly moved my gaze away from him, and I just admired everything—the decorations, the flowers.

It was just pure perfection.

Then I turned my gaze to where Alaric had been standing again, but this time around, he wasn't there.

I began looking around.

The crowd was massive, and the whispers were a lot, but I kept pretending like I did not hear a single thing they were saying.

Whoever wanted to call me cursed today, that was their business.

Today was all about me and not them.

Today was a day I had been hoping for, for the longest time, and I wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

Not them, not whatever they talked about me, nothing.

I was going to be happy.

I was going to celebrate.

And I was going to be mated to the man of my dreams, the love of my life.

"You look stunning," I heard a voice come from behind me, and I just froze.

I refused to move.

My body just stayed in place.

His voice was low, and his breath against my skin just sent shivers through my entire body.

I felt his hand slowly move around my waist.

"You look so stunning," he whispered again.

Then I turned around to look at him, my gaze locking with his, and just looking at him alone, it felt like he had the ability to steal the air from my lungs.

"You look magnificent," I whispered.

"Do you really think that?" he asked.

"Of course I do," I said quickly, wrapping my arms around him.

But there was something odd.

He didn't come to welcome me at the door, which was customary.

He should have done that, but I didn't care right now.

"Can you hear what everyone is saying? Don't listen to them," he said.

But I did not know why I could feel this distance in his voice, like he was trying to hide something from me.

I did not know how I could feel it, but I could.

And it just made me feel so uncomfortable.

"I think my attention is needed," he said before taking his hands off me slowly.

He walked away from me quickly, and I didn't understand what the hell had just happened.

One moment he was all over me, complimenting me.

The next, this?

What the heck?

"Well, well, well."

A voice came from behind me, and I turned around only to find someone—someone I had never seen before—looking at me like she was the predator and I was the prey.

"Aren't you the cursed one?"

Before I could even respond to her, I felt someone beginning to pull me.

"Kael, what the hell?" I said to my brother, who began pulling me before I could even get a word out.

"Today's not the day for any of this, remember? And by the way, you look so pretty," he complimented, and my brother was literally the best, but sometimes he acted like a douchebag, and him complimenting me today actually meant I looked good.

"Thank you," I replied, and he seemed even more excited than I was.

Today was supposed to be all about me, but it didn't feel like that.

Slowly, the music died down, and Elder Moira stood in front of everyone. She was impeccably dressed, even at her old age, and that was something I admired about her.

The entire crowd went silent, and she began speaking.

"Today we are here for Alaric and Vaelora."

When she said my name, my heart instantly skipped a beat, but I kept telling myself to calm down. I shouldn't be freaking out this much.

"Step forward, the both of you," she said in a tone that made my knees weak, but I carried myself with so much confidence no one would know.

I stood in front of Alaric, and I could never stop myself from smiling, but he wasn't, and that made me even more uneasy.

What was actually going on?

After this, we needed to have a long talk because whatever was going on, he needed to tell me.

"I don't have much to say," Moira said. "This is between the both of you, and you already know what to do."

Alaric started.

"I, Alaric of the Blood Fang Pack, hereby reject vaelora as my mate…”