Chapter 4: Rejected Beneath the Blue Moon
1130 Words
"I..."
The single word hung in the cold night air.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
I stared at Caelan, waiting for him to finish.
My heart was beating so hard it hurt.
He looked at me, but something had changed in his eyes.
The warmth I thought I had seen was gone.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
Like a man who had already made up his mind.
The High Elder stepped closer.
"Your Majesty," he said, his voice carrying across the sacred circle. "The Moon Goddess has spoken. Accept your fated mate."
For a moment, I believed he would.
I held my breath.
Caelan's jaw tightened.
His fists closed at his sides.
He looked at me one last time.
"I'm sorry."
The words were so quiet that I almost didn't hear them.
Then he lifted his head and spoke loudly enough for the entire gathering to hear.
"I reject Emily Ashwyn as my fated mate."
The world stopped.
Every sound vanished.
I couldn't breathe.
No.
I must have heard him wrong.
The High Elder looked stunned.
"Your Majesty..."
Caelan didn't look away from me.
"I reject the bond given to us by the Moon Goddess."
Gasps swept through the crowd.
Someone cried out in disbelief.
"No one rejects a fated mate."
"He's rejecting her?"
"The Alpha King?"
My knees felt weak.
I searched his face for some sign that this was a mistake.
A joke.
Anything.
Instead, his expression remained hard.
The High Elder frowned.
"You understand what this means?"
"I do."
"The rejection cannot be taken back."
"I know."
"The pain will follow both of you."
"I accept the consequences."
Every word cut deeper than the last.
I shook my head.
"No..."
The whisper barely left my lips.
Caelan finally looked away from me.
That hurt more than the rejection itself.
It was as if I no longer existed.
The High Elder closed his eyes.
"Then speak the final words."
Silence covered the sacred circle.
The Blue Moon shone brighter above us.
Caelan drew in a slow breath.
"From this night forward, I reject Emily Ashwyn as my mate."
A sharp pain exploded inside my chest.
I cried out and fell to my knees.
It felt like invisible claws were tearing my heart apart.
I grabbed my chest, struggling to breathe.
Every breath burned.
The crowd stepped back in fear.
"She's in pain."
"The bond is breaking."
"Someone help her."
No one moved.
Not even my own pack.
I looked up through blurry eyes.
Caelan stood perfectly still.
His face remained unreadable, but I noticed something strange.
His breathing had become uneven.
One hand pressed briefly against his chest before he lowered it again.
So...
He felt it too.
The pain wasn't mine alone.
Tears ran down my face.
"Why?" I whispered.
My voice shook.
"What did I do?"
He didn't answer.
He simply turned around.
One step.
Then another.
Every step carried him farther away from me.
Farther from us.
The bond between us stretched like a rope ready to snap.
Then...
It broke.
The pain became unbearable.
I screamed.
A burst of silver light exploded around me.
The force knocked several people backward.
The torches around the sacred circle flickered wildly.
The ground beneath my hands trembled.
Everyone froze.
"What was that?"
"Did you see the light?"
"It came from her."
The silver glow wrapped around my body for only a few seconds before disappearing.
I lay on the cold stone, breathing hard.
Confused.
Scared.
I had never felt anything like it.
Neither had anyone else.
The High Elder stared at me.
His face had gone pale.
Fear flashed across his eyes before he quickly hid it.
Only one person seemed to notice.
Me.
Why was he afraid?
Before I could think about it, angry voices rose from the crowd.
"I knew she was cursed."
"Nothing good ever comes from a wolf-less girl."
"She brought shame to Silver Hollow."
"If she were stronger, he wouldn't have rejected her."
Each word landed like another wound.
I slowly pushed myself to my feet.
My legs shook so badly I almost fell again.
Selene rushed toward me.
"Emily."
She reached for my hand.
I pulled away without thinking.
I wasn't angry with her.
I just...
I couldn't let anyone see how badly I was breaking.
"I'm okay," I lied.
She looked ready to cry.
"No, you're not."
I forced a weak smile.
"I will be."
The words sounded empty even to me.
Across the gathering, Caelan had reached his horse.
For one brief second, he stopped.
Without turning around, he stood completely still.
Was he regretting it?
Was he thinking about coming back?
Hope rose inside me before I could stop it.
Then he climbed onto his horse.
The hope died.
The royal guards surrounded him.
Within moments, they rode away into the darkness.
He never looked back.
The Blue Moon still hung above the village.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Uncaring.
I lifted my eyes toward it.
"So this is my fate," I whispered.
The Moon gave me my mate.
Then watched him throw me away.
People slowly began leaving the sacred grounds.
Some stared at me with pity.
Others with disgust.
Most simply pretended I wasn't there.
I had never felt so alone.
As I turned to leave, Old Martha stepped into my path.
Her face held no kindness.
"Go home, Emily."
Her voice was flat.
"You've embarrassed this pack enough for one night."
The words hurt.
Not because they were shouted.
Because they were spoken so calmly.
As if my humiliation were nothing more than an inconvenience.
I lowered my head.
Without another word, I walked away.
Behind me, whispers followed every step.
"The rejected mate."
"The wolf-less girl."
"The Alpha King didn't even want her."
Each sentence chipped away at what little strength I had left.
By the time I reached my small cottage, I was shaking.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.
The silence inside the house was almost painful.
No voices.
No whispers.
No stares.
Just me.
The tears I had been holding back finally escaped.
I slid to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees.
My chest still ached where the mate bond had broken.
The pain was real.
So was the emptiness.
I buried my face in my arms.
"Why?"
No answer came.
Outside, the Blue Moon continued to shine through my window.
Then...
A strange warmth spread beneath the skin above my left collarbone.
I frowned and looked down.
The crescent-shaped birthmark glowed softly beneath my fingers.
The silver light was faint.
But it was there.
And somewhere deep inside me...
A woman's gentle voice whispered.
"This is not your end, Emily."
My eyes flew open.
I was not alone.
- Writer
