Almost rejected ..

Sabrina.

My eyes darted around, searching for the source. And my legs moved swiftly. I didn't know where I was going. I was searching for the source of the scent.

And there he stood, at six feet and four inches. He was all muscled up, perfectly sculptured, a masterpiece. He was everyone's dream mate, husband. Chiselled jawlines, silky black hair that beautifully draped his broad shoulders.

Goodness, he was perfect.

And when his ocean blue eyes met mine, I came out of my trance.

" Why is it you?" That's what I intended to say when I opened my mouth, but...

" Mate!" Soft, and needy, laced with raw need and desires were the words that left my lips, my wolf's needy voice.

When he recognised me, his eyes darkened, a mixture of anger and resentment dancing on his beautiful orbs as he looked at me.

He wanted to shout, to hurl a nasty insult, but I guess just like me, he was powerless when it came to the mate bond.

" Mate!" Those were the words that slipped past his lips. Needy, lusty, desperate, that was the tone of his voice. But... his clenched fingers, his red eyes, they told a different story altogether.

He hated me. He was disappointed to find out that I was his mate, and so was I. The feeling was mutual.

I hated him before, but after finding out that he was my mate, I hated him even more.

Why, Moon goddess? Why him?

Confused? Yes. It was Rhys. The soon-to-be Alpha, the groom. He was my fated mate.

Fate was truly uncanny, wasn't it?

Why him?

" Why is it you?" My voice was laced with venom as I accused.

" You think I am thrilled?" He shot back, the bitterness in his voice shattering something within me.

"What cheap tricks are you pulling now? " He asked, unveiled contempt lining his words.

Cheap tricks. That's what he thought of me. That was the impression that he had of me. He had betrayed me before, but his current accusation broke me in ways they shouldn't have.

We had been friends for twenty years. We had known each other for about the same time. And yet, that's what he thought of me.

" Don't flatter yourself! I would never stoop as low as faking to be your mate. You are simply not worth it!" I spat, the disdain in my voice hardly concealed.

A mixture of disbelief and hurt crossed his features, only for a fraction of a second but he masked it the next minute, wearing a mask of indifference.

" Obviously, you are not thrilled to find me as your mate. You can say the same about me. Honestly, I am disappointed." Fighting against the heat that crept within me, the overwhelming urge to throw myself into his arms, to kiss him, fighting to keep my overly needy wolf in control, I spat, but even then, my voice still shook, the effect of the mate bond obvious.

" It's good that you know your place, Sabrina, because, I would never marry someone like you. I would never mate with a person like you. You disgust me." He retorted, this time, his resolve stronger than before.

I shouldn't have been hurt by his words, but still, I was. It was enough that he had betrayed me, that he had chosen Amery over me, did he have to resent me that much? If anyone should have been bitter, it should have been me, clearly. I was left without an explanation, after all.

' Can you try? For us? I want our mate, Sabrina. ' At the back of my mind, my wolf pleaded, whimpering in pain, the hurt of his mate's hatred, doing more than just breaking her.

' He is an unwilling, Ava. He doesn't want us. And yeah, it is painful, but we can't force a person to want us, Ava. I am also hurting, but we must have a spine, otherwise, where is our dignity?' I linked back, my voice shaking with a mixture of hurt and stubbornness. I pitied my wolf, especially when her painful whimpers seeped through my body, but what could I do?

Beg Rhys to accept me? Beg him not to reject me? Beg him to cancel his wedding to Anery? No.

I didn't need such love.

" Sabrina? You have just come back and you are causing trouble? Don't you know that Rhys is now your brother-in-law?" Just then, my father's voice cut through the air, cold and harsh, filled with disapproval.

Clearly, I was the villain in their eyes. They were not even married yet and he was already throwing the name brother-in-law around. The absurdity of it all.

" Causing trouble? You are so used to accusing me and defending Amery that you don't even bother to get your facts straight, Warrior Fords." My tone was calm as I spoke, oddly calm, to be honest.

" Well, I will be kind enough to explain everything to you. I am not causing any trouble. If anyone is, maybe it's the moon goddess. She paired me with my soon-to-be, brother-in-law, after all." I went on, wearing a mocking smile as I looked at my father.

" So yeah, the moon goddess thinks that Rhys and I are suitable for each other. Rhys is my fated mate." As I dropped the bomb on him, as the reality sank in, I saw real panic in his eyes. I thought that I was immune to my father's bias, but I was wrong.

When I saw the raw worry and panic in his eyes, at the threat of Amery's marriage, something cracked within me, and a tear slid from my right eye. Love? I guess that was a fantasy to me. Even my own father couldn't give a quarter of the love that he gave to his stepdaughter to me, his real daughter. Why would I expect Rhys to love me?

" Your sister has been happy these past years." Finally, after coming out of his daze, my father spoke, his voice coated with desperation.

" I have never seen her this happy. Rhys makes her happy. They may not be fated mates, but they... they love each other."

" Amery, I know that I haven't been a wonderful father to you, but can you do me a favour? Can you reject Rhys for your sister's sake? for my sake?" He pleaded, and the desperation in his eyes shot my heart like arrows, he looked like he would go on his knees if I asked.

He was pleading, but for her. He wanted me to give up my goddess-given mate, for her.

" You don't have to beg her, Uncle. It's wrong. She is selfish. She only thinks about herself."

" I will reject her instead. I would rather remain single than marry Sabrina." Rhys declared, his tone filled with finality, and I stood there, looking strong, unbothered, although, deep down, I was breaking, and my wolf? She was a wailing mess.

" I, Rhys Callum reject you...."

" Have you lost your mind?"

" I dare you ...."