The Rejected Hybrid Princess

Chapter 3

Logan P.O.V

Tension filled the atmosphere as I stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the dark abyss below. The air felt thick in my lungs, the pulse of my heartbeat pounding in my chest like the rhythmic crash of the river below. My eyes couldn’t focus on anything, not the jagged rocks, nor the rapids that churned relentlessly beneath them. All I could hear was the sound of my blood rushing through my ears, deafening and constant, echoing my disbelief. This… this cannot be happening.

Matilda, what have you done? I thought, my hands trembling at my sides. The drop was steep, and the rocks below were jagged enough to rip apart anything—or anyone—that dared to fall from such a height. My eyes scanned the surroundings in a daze, until something white flickered in the wind. A piece of cloth—a scrap of Matilda’s clothing—caught my eye, fluttering in the breeze. My stomach twisted violently. It was unmistakably hers.

A sharp, bitter realization hit me like a cold wave. She really did it…

“That’s what Matilda wore today. She really... jumped.” Rhode’s mother’s voice broke through the fog in my mind, thin and trembling. I turned, meeting her pale, grief-stricken face. Her lips quivered as she spoke, her hands shaking as they gripped her husband’s arm for some kind of support. I could see her swaying slightly, on the verge of collapse. I felt nothing. Nothing but the crushing weight of what had just unfolded.

Her words hung in the air, like a death sentence. A sharp knot twisted in my chest. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. There was nothing to say. What could I say? The raw grief in her expression was almost too much to bear. I could feel her pain, but I couldn’t allow myself to show it. I couldn’t let anyone see how deeply this was affecting me.

Rhode stood next to her, his face a mask of shock and sorrow. He hadn’t even begun to process what had happened. His mother was too far gone, crumbling under the weight of losing her daughter, and Rhode… Rhode didn’t even know how to comfort her. His jaw was set in a hard line, eyes fixed ahead, as if he were retreating into himself. Slowly, without a word, he began to make his way down the steep path toward the river below, his pace quickening, desperate to find some trace of his sister. Anything to create the hope she was there, somewhere.

Reluctantly, I followed him, the weight of the moment pressing down on my chest. My mind wasn’t on Matilda anymore. It was on the consequences of this disaster. This shouldn’t have happened. Not like this. Not at the worst possible time.

I was about to become Alpha. All my life, I had worked towards this moment. The pack had been watching me, waiting for me to rise to the occasion. If anyone found out I had rejected her, if they knew the truth about how I had treated Matilda—how I had humiliated her in front of everyone—it would all be ruined. A leader who pushed his mate to the edge of her death, who caused her to take such a drastic step... No. I couldn’t let this define me. But it felt like it already did.

As we reached the base of the cliff, I looked around, hoping, praying for any sign that Matilda was still alive, that this was some sick prank. But there was nothing. Nothing but the cold, empty ground, and the faint, torn piece of cloth, caught on a branch nearby. It was almost poetic in its tragedy. A symbol of everything lost, like a faded memory clinging to the edge of the world. She vanished. Just like that.

Rhode’s face was streaked with tears, his shoulders shaking as he knelt by the cloth, his breath coming in short, broken bursts. I couldn’t bring myself to join him. I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? She was gone. I felt the truth sink in, heavy and suffocating, but I couldn’t allow myself to grieve. There was no time for that. I had to stay strong. I had to stay strong for the pack.

I felt an uncomfortable pang in my chest. No. This is not about me. This is about her. The words kept cycling in my mind, but I couldn’t make sense of them. Guilt, shame, and frustration fought within me, as I placed my hand on Rhode’s shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort. But inside, I was spinning, my thoughts consumed by the crushing weight of my own actions.

The river below would have swallowed her whole, its current relentless and unforgiving. A human could never survive such a fall. And Matilda—she was so weak, so fragile. Even if she had somehow survived the fall, the river would have claimed her. The thought alone was almost suffocating and the reality was even worse.

I couldn’t let this be on me. I couldn’t. I could already see the headlines in my mind—the whispers, the looks, the judgment from every corner of the pack. I’m the future Alpha. I can’t afford to be seen as a weakling.

My chest tightened as I tried to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. Nothing could fix this. Matilda was gone, and there was no coming back from that.

We walked back towards the pack house, the silence that hanged between us, was thick and uncomfortable. The cheerful hum of the celebration had shifted into something somber and heavy. The air had become thick with grief, as if the very atmosphere had absorbed the tragedy. When we returned, Rhode’s parents were already waiting for us. The look on their faces told me everything.

They were consumed by the pain of their loss. The sound of Rhode’s mother’s sobs pierced through the quiet night, her body trembling uncontrollably as she collapsed into her husband’s arms. There was nothing anyone could do. She had lost her daughter.

I stood there, frozen. My mind was racing, I had a role to play now. A responsibility. I couldn’t afford to show how much this was affecting me. If anyone knew the truth—that I had rejected her, that I had pushed her to this—there would be no going back. And worse, Rhode would never forgive me.

I can’t let him hate me. I can’t let anyone know.

"Father," I said quietly, turning to face the Alpha, my voice deliberately calm. "I’ll go to Matilda’s room. There might be something we missed. Something we can use to understand what happened."

He nodded, his gaze dark with concern. "Go, Logan. It’s your responsibility. Don’t overlook anything."

I nodded and made my way toward her room. My steps felt like they were dragging a hundred pounds with each movement. The door creaked when I pushed it open, and the familiar scent of Matilda’s orchid perfume hit me like a sharp reminder of everything I had caused. Everything I had thrown away. The room was barren, a few personal items scattered around, but it all felt wrong—like she had never truly belonged there. Everything was so... empty. So devoid of her.

I searched the room, hoping, foolishly, to find something—anything—that might explain this. Make me look and feel less guilty. But there was nothing. No note. No dairy. No clue as to why she had taken such a drastic step. I let out a shaky breath, relieved, yet strangely disappointed. There was no evidence to point back to me. No record of my rejection.

Still, the voices outside continued to call her name, desperate. It’s pointless, I thought bitterly. She’s gone, swallowed by the river. There’s nothing to find.

But the search persisted. The cries, the calls—it was all a desperate echo of hope that I couldn’t afford. I couldn’t let them hold on to this illusion. I couldn’t let them think she was still out there.

When I returned to the group, I saw Rhode, his face etched with grief. His parents stood beside him, their sorrow palpable in the air. I couldn’t face them. Not now. I could feel the weight of their stares, the judgment, but I knew I had to push through it. I had to be strong.

For the pack.

The river’s final bend disappeared into the night, and with it, Matilda. She had vanished, consumed by the darkness, leaving only the hollow ache of loss in her wake. And as much as I tried to push it away, I couldn’t help but feel the sha

rp sting of regret. She was gone. And it was my fault.