Chapter 9: The Rejection
1042 Words
The words echoed through the temple, it was as though the world stopped for a second.
"The Moon Goddess... has chosen."
The room was quiet until the room erupted in a noise.
"Impossible!"
"The Alpha?"
"His mate is... Ella?"
"That can't be right!"
Voices rose from every corner of the temple, people couldn't believe that the Moon Goddess will mate Alpha Rowan with the cursed girl.
Ella couldn't hear any of it, her eyes were locked on the silver thread connecting her wrist to Rowan, it looked so delicate and beautiful yet it felt heavy .
She had dreamed of many things in her life, of being accepted, of finding where she belonged but never this. She never thought she could be mated to the Alpha, even in her next life.
Her fingers trembled. "There must be some mistake," she whispered.
The thread glowed brighter, as though answering her thoughts. Meanwhile, Rowan didn't say anything, he just stood still. His face betrayed nothing but his wolf had gone completely still and silent as if it, too, had been caught off guard.
The High Elder slowly approached him. "My Alpha..."
His voice shook with emotion. "The Moon Goddess has spoken."
Rowan didn't answer the elder, he just stood there, his expression unreadable.
The temple fell quiet again, they waited for something or someone to talk, maybe Alpha Rowan.
Nora pushed through the crowd, her face drained of color. "No!" She pointed at Ella. "This is a trick, she has no wolf! Morevever she's cursed." Ella scoffed, "How can she be the Alpha's mate?"
No one responded to her, even those that didn't like Ella knew one thing.
The Moon Goddess's choice was sacred, it was not to be questioned.
The oldest elder raised his staff. "The bond has been revealed," He continued speaking, "according to our laws, the Alpha and his destined mate..."
"Enough! Rowan's voice rose through the crowd, everywhere immediately became silent, even the elder didn't speak again.
Rowan stepped forward until only a few feet separated him and Ella, she couldn't bring herself to look away. For the first time, she saw uncertainty in his gray eyes.
IHe turned to face the council. "If I accept this bond..." He spoke slowly, making sure he chooses his words with care. "...what happens to the pack?"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances, one elder stood up to answer him. "You would take Ella Ashwood as your Luna."
The crowd began murmuring again. Another elder added, "The Moon Goddess does not choose without reason."
Rowan's jaw tightened. "My people already fear her."
No one replied him.
"The kingdom is unsettled." He looked toward the gathered wolves, "She's believed to be cursed, there's the rumour of a mysterious death, there are rumours of an ancient curse, whispers of the Moon Wolf." His gaze returned to Ella."If I place a servant... a girl they believe is cursed... beside me on the Alpha's throne..." He let the sentence hang, the silence that followed after felt unbearable.
Ella's heart began to sink, she understood what he was saying and she knew he wasn't speaking to her. He was weighing his kingdom against her, the council wasn't blind to it either.
"My Alpha," one elder said quietly, "the Moon Goddess's will should come before public opinion." Another elder nodded. "The bond is sacred."
"But so is my duty," Rowan replied, "I swore an oath to protect this kingdom."
His words were calm, but after each word he spoke, people whispered.
Ella lowered her eyes, she suddenly wished she had listened to Elder Mira, she should never have come.
"Ella..." Ethan's voice came softly from somewhere behind her. Sbe couldn't turn to face him. Nora's lips slowly curved into a smile, she knew exactly where this was going.
"My Alpha," she said sweetly, "no one would blame you for questioning this bond."
A few wolves nodded in agreement, others looked ashamed for agreeing.
The High Elder struck his staff against the floor.
"Silence!"
The temple obeyed him, He looked directly at Rowan."The decision is yours but understand this, if you reject the bond... The consequences may be beyond any of us."
Rowan closed his eyes, for the first time since he became Alpha, he doubted so many things, he had spent years making impossible choices.
This was the hardest of them all.
When he opened his eyes again, the warmth was gone. He had to choose.
He looked at Ella, she wasn't crying or pleading like other mates would do, instead, she simply stood there, small and frightened, waiting for his decision. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if there was another way then he remembered the whispers, the fear spreading through the kingdom, the fragile peace he had sworn to preserve.
He made his choice, his voice echoed through the temple.
"Ella Ashwood..." Her breath caught. "I acknowledge the bond revealed tonight." Hope flickered inside her but it only lasted for a second. "But..." She began trembling, "As Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack... I cannot accept you as my mate."
A collective gasp rippled through the temple.
"Ella Ashwood... I reject you."
The silver thread snapped, the sound was almost inaudible yet another wolf felt it.
Cold ran down Ella's spine, pain exploded through Ella's chest, it felt like an actual stab wound. She cried out, stumbling backward as if something had ripped through her very soul, the warmth inside her vanished, her knees hit the cold stone floor.
Tears blurred her vision, she pressed a trembling hand against her heart, struggling to breathe.
Around the temple, wolves watched in stunned silence, some looked horrified and others looked relieved.
Ethan rushed forward. "Ella!" She barely heard him, her heartbeat had become uneven. Everything around her sounded distant, she had heard stories all her life about rejected mates, most never recovered, some died before sunrise.
The High Elder stared at her with grief in his eyes. "Moon Goddess..." he whispered, "Please... let her live."
Ella's vision began to darken, the last thing she saw was Rowan standing where he'd been, his face unreadable. Then... His wolf let out a furious roar inside his mind and Rowan froze.
His eyes widened. No....That was impossible.
The mate bond... It was still there.
- Writer
