Rejected

Malory’s POV:

“I, Oliver Knox, reject you, Malory Grenade, as my future Luna and mate.”

This was the last day of the ceremony. Everyone went to the gathering happily, and no one noticed my conversation with Oliver.

I clenched my fists tightly and heard Oliver’s deep growl.

“Accept your rejection and get out of my sight forever! The thought of you having human blood in your veins makes me feel disgusted! If you’re sensible, you’ll find a quiet place to die on your own instead of tarnishing our people’s glory.”

His harsh words made the blood in my body boil. I tried my best not to let my tears fall, making me even more embarrassed.

“Maybe he was right. From the beginning, my appearance was a mistake. On my sixteenth birthday, I found out from my parents that I was not their biological child, although they always told me I was an angel given to them by the stork.

Oliver made a strange guttural sound from his throat, urging me to make a decision as soon as possible. The thought of rejecting him made me feel so much pain that I couldn’t breathe. I was a human who shouldn’t be here. I was not as strong and brave as the others.

“I, Malory Grenade, accept your rejection.” I stammered, and the pain made me tremble uncontrollably.

Oliver snorted coldly and stared at me with his arms crossed. “At least you’re tactful. You’re just a toad. Stay in your quagmire, and don’t even think about implicating the others in our pack.”

On his nineteenth birthday, we found out that we were mates. He didn’t reject me then, and I thought he had accepted his fate. However, it turned out that he was just afraid that I would be with the other pack members.

Oliver turned away coldly and walked out. There were a few people at the door. They greeted him with smiles, perhaps secretly mocking me for daydreaming.

‘Breathe, Malory, breathe. Don’t show your weakness in front of them.’

I pretended to be calm and waited for them to leave, then ran away in a sorry state. I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of the wolves, or they would bite me. I learned this way of survival after training with them for so many years. Now I had integrated into the pack very well, even though I was a soft egg that would fall with a single poke to them.

I had great friends. If someone tried to bully me, they would always stand up for me. When I felt unhappy, they always found a way to make me happy. My parents were the best in the world. They never laughed at me or reprimanded me. On the contrary, when I questioned why I was weaker than others, they always told me that everyone was born with a purpose, and this was not mine.

But I’d ruined everything. How would Oliver and those people spread the news? Oliver ruthlessly rejected that shameless human? Would my parents and friends be humiliated because of this? Maybe he was right. I was a worthless person who would only bring shame to the pack. I should leave forever and not drag them down with me.

My poor parents had already suffered enough pain and humiliation. I was never their pride, not even for a day!

I snuck out of the house without anyone noticing me. It was the night of the party, so they might be laughing at my back. I shivered at the thought of it.

With the help of the moonlight, I slowly walked into the forest. At this moment, I realized that my face was covered in tears. The pain of being rejected and the heartache of being about to leave made me unable to control myself. I cried loudly. No one would care about trash who couldn’t see the road clearly without the moonlight.

“I should have died in the forest many years ago. Instead, I stole all this happiness. I’m really grateful for my parents, my brother Rhys, and everyone in the pack. They gave me so much love. Now, it’s time for me to give back to the pack. It’s time for everything to get back on track.”

I wiped away the tears on my face as if I was wiping away a stain. Tonight, I was going to give them a pure and flawless pack.

The night’s cold air entered my lungs through my nose, and I coughed violently. I couldn’t even withstand such a small change in the air. How could I dare call myself a member of this pack? If the person here today were Rhys or anyone else, they wouldn’t be as fragile as me.

I heard the crowd singing my favorite song. The song traveled the distance and entered my ears like a silent encouragement and urging. I came to the pack with this song and grew up here. So it was only right for me to use this song to send myself off.

‘It’s time, Malory, to be a brave person for the last time!’

I closed my eyes and jumped off the cliff.

The wind whistled past my ears, and the song became blurry. I was finally free forever.

****

Oliver’s POV

“When I learned that Malory was my mate, my first thought was that it was ridiculous and laughable.

I, as the future Alpha, have an ordinary human as my future mate.

Are you kidding me?

However, I couldn’t have any opinions because my father would not allow me to give special treatment to a certain member. As long as the pack accepted her, she would be a part of it, and I must treat her equally.

Accepting Malory as part of our pack was already my biggest concession. I would never accept her as my mate.

I knew what an Alpha’s Luna was like. My mother was such a strong warrior and mother she could fight side by side with my father at any time, unlike Malory, who was a damsel in distress. I couldn’t even imagine what role she could play in a battle, a cheering squad?

Our pack needed a strong Luna, at least someone not as weak as she was. I would not spare any time to protect her.

Even if she had been a happy fool under the protection of her parents, brother, and good friends for so many years, I would not indulge her, nor would I become her protective umbrella. In fact, I felt that it was best for her to disappear quietly so she would not continue implicating her parents and friends.

Although I said that, I still felt a heart-wrenching pain when she accepted my rejection. I pretended nothing had happened and followed the people who invited me to the bonfire party. I used my smile and alcohol to cover up the pain constantly stirring my nerves.

Malory sat in the room in a daze. She might be crying right now, but she would only cry out loud because of a minor setback. She could not feel this pain at all. When I thought of this, I felt tired. Why did I have to be her mate?

“Hehehe, look, who this is now? Isn’t this the future of our Alpha?” My good brother, Jax, walked over with a beer in his hand and laughed.

I took the beer and downed it in one gulp. Even though the whole pack knew that I’d become an Alpha, it still made my heart beat faster when the day was closing in.

“Brother, you should be happier. Next Monday is your big day! We’ll have two great things if you can find your mate by next Monday.”

I didn’t dare to look into Rhys’s eyes. If he knew that my mate was his dear sister, the weakest human in the pack and that I had rejected Malory, his celebratory toast would probably become a fist, waving at me.

Damn it! I couldn’t help but groan in my heart. There were so many people in the whole pack. Anyone could have been my mate, but why her?

“Brother, you should change your bad habit of keeping everything to yourself. It’s such a happy occasion, but you still look so serious. You’ll become a wrinkly old man in a few years.”

Rhys and Jax laughed at his joke and clinked their glasses.

Guilt filled my heart. Rhys was my good friend, but I used such vicious words to reject Malory today. I was a b*stard.

“Have you seen Malory?” Rhys’s mother leaned over and asked worriedly.

Hearing Malory’s name all of a sudden made my heart beat like it was hit by lightning. Even I did not know why I would have such a strange reaction. I was like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid that the adults would find out.

“Didn’t she say she had something to do at the packhouse?”

“Yes, I thought she was at the house too, but it’s been more than two hours. Today’s gathering is her favorite. How could she not be back for so long?” Rhys’s mother’s voice was trembling.

I tried my best to capture the scent of orchid in the air. Indeed, the scent was getting fainter and fainter. She was definitely not nearby.

“I’ll go find her! She might be in trouble and need help.” Rhys put down his glass and stood up to leave.

“We’ll go with you. It’ll be faster if we have more people.” To not be suspected, I offered to help.

Rhys, his parents, and I followed her scent to the woods, but her scent was getting fainter and fainter. We could only circle in the woods like a bunch of fools Malory had played.

The ethereal sense of guilt disappeared. I was confident in my heart that it was the right decision to reject her today. If I were to be with such a weak-minded person every day, I would go crazy. Malory would use her willfulness to ruin such a happy evening party!

If it weren’t for her stubbornness, I would be drinking beer now, waiting to see the hot girls dance. Maybe after tonight, I should find a mate for myself to make her utterly despair.

“Look! What’s that?” Rhys exclaimed and ran forward. This was the fastest he had run since I met him.

There was a beautiful burgundy bow on the ground. Just a moment ago, its owner was crying in front of me.

I kept the disdainful hushing in my heart. This was something the coward used to scare people. She wouldn’t dare to jump from such a high place!