The Rejection
1126 Words
She was calling out to me slowly. Her figure became clearer.
A silvery-white wolf stood before me, her fur glowing softly under the moonlight. Her blue eyes were deep and calm, like a clear lake. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
She was my wolf.
I had imagined countless times what my wolf would look like, but she was far more beautiful than anything I had ever pictured.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said awkwardly. “Me too,” she replied gently. “My name is Bella. But I think we should talk alone.”
Before I could respond, my attention was pulled back to reality.
People were still gathered around me, celebrating my coming-of-age.
“Honey,” Suzanne laughed, “let me guess how many wishes you made. At this rate, the cake won’t even fit them all.”
Soon, Suzanne left with the others, and the room slowly emptied until I was alone.
When I stepped out, I almost collided with someone.
A scent like fresh grass after rain mixed with pine filled the air.
“Sorry,” we said at the same time.
I looked up—
It was Leo Harrington.
“Aria! That’s him!” Bella shouted in my head, frantic with excitement. “He’s our mate!”
The sudden intensity gave me a slight headache.
“Mr. Harrington,” I said politely, extending my hand just as my mother had taught me. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
My heart began to race.
Could he really be my mate?
I had imagined my mate countless times, yet none of those fantasies matched the overwhelming presence of Leo before me.
When werewolves met their destined mate, there was supposed to be a soul-deep resonance.
I hoped desperately that he felt it too.
But I was wrong.
“My status does not allow me to shake hands with a student assigned to event assistance,” Leo said coldly, not moving an inch.
The contempt in his eyes burned.
My outstretched hand became a cruel joke, hanging awkwardly in the air.
People nearby had heard him.
Some turned to stare. A few boys laughed quietly. One even whistled mockingly.
Whispers spread.
I knew they were laughing at me.
Shame crashed over me like a tidal wave, suffocating and unbearable. Being treated this way by my matehurt more than anything I had ever known.
As if nothing had happened, Leo turned away and returned to his seat.
I stood frozen. Did he not feel it?
Unable to endure the stares, I turned and hurried out through a side exit, my steps carrying me into the academy’s private garden.
“Aria! Where are you going?” Bella cried, confused and panicked.
Her voice only made my chest ache more. Tears streamed down my face.
“No, Bella,” I whispered. “He rejected us.”
“Don’t cry,” Bella said softly. “Maybe he just didn’t sense us yet. Let’s give him time.”
But the pain was too much.
I left the Harrington estate as fast as I could.
Sadness and anger twisted in my chest. I didn’t understand why my mother had insisted I attend this gala why I had to be humiliated in front of everyone.
When I reached home, my mother was just about to leave the living room.
She noticed my red, swollen eyes immediately.
“Aria?” she asked. “What happened? Why are you back already? The gala shouldn’t be over.”
“The gala isn’t over,” I cried, “but I’m done with that place! I swear I’ll never attend something like that again!” I ran upstairs to my room and locked the door.
That humiliation was more than enough.
I didn’t want to talk to anyone not even my mother.
Hidden beneath my necklace was a folded note, written in my father’s handwriting.
Aria, my daughter.
Today is your coming-of-age ceremony. This necklace is my gift to you. You are as beautiful to me as the moon itself. Always and deeply loved your father, Orion.
I slid down onto the floor, clutching the necklace as tears poured freely.
If he were still alive, he would have placed it around my neck himself.
But I had lost him forever. I wore the necklace tightly, as if it could bring him back even just a little.
He was brave. Strong. And I needed to be like him.
The next day at noon, I made a decision.
I would go back to the Harrington Academy and speak to Leo properly.
He must have felt the bond too.
Standing outside the gates I rehearsed what I would say over and over..
Suddenly— “that’s her! She’s a thief! She should be reported!” I froze.
An older academy supervisor pointed at me, speaking urgently to Leo.
“I didn’t—” I started, panicked.
Leo stepped closer, his gaze sharp and unyielding.
“Mr. Harrington,” Suzanne hurried over and bowed respectfully, “Aria didn’t steal anything. I can guarantee that.”
“Lady Suzanne,” the supervisor snapped, “the limited-edition academy badge is in her hand. Are we blind?”
Fear made my head drop instantly.
“I came here just to—”
"No matter your intention," Leo interrupted coldly. "This is the first and last warning. If you take anything from this academy again, your enrollment will be revoked; that is the rule."
In his eyes, my guilt was already decided. I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to cry.
“Other than that,” he said, “we need to talk.”
He led me beneath the shade of a tall oak tree on campus.
“You want to talk about last night,” he said flatly. “As the future Alpha of the Red Moon Consortium, my mate must share my responsibility. With your background, that’s impossible.”
I knew he was rejecting me.
I had prepared for it.
Still, when he said it aloud, tears slipped free. “Why do you think I can’t do it?” I asked shakily.
“Because your pack has fallen,” Leo said sharply. “They’re weak. I need strength. Power. Support. You can’t offer any of that.”
His eyes hardened. “I will not recognize you as my mate.”
The rejection shattered me.
I turned and ran past the gates, down the road, away from everything.
“Aria,” Bella said gently, “maybe he just needs time—” "No," I sobbed, "there will never be a chance with him."
Night fell as I ran, the moonlight breaking through the clouds and shining down on me.
I still wasn’t home, and I didn’t know where I belonged anymore.
- Writer
