Chapter 4: Brutal Rejection

The ceremony hall was already packed when I arrived.

Families from different packs filled every corner. Mothers fussed over their daughters' dresses while fathers laughed with old friends they hadn't seen in years. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling. They were all happy.

Tonight wasn't just another ceremony. It was the Red Moon Ceremony, for wolves like me, it was our last chance to find the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen.

I tightened my grip around my clutch and looked down at my red dress. Just like everyone had been instructed to wear.

Mom had spent hours making sure it hid as much of my body as possible, but it didn't. If anything, standing among all the slim, beautiful women only made me feel bigger.

Mom was right. I really was the fattest woman in the room.

I darted my eyes around desperately, searching for Jake. He was nowhere to be seen.

My gaze landed on his group of rich friends clustered around a high table, laughing and sipping drinks. They used to tolerate me, even smile when Jake was around. But after I gained weight, their masks slipped. I could still remember the cruel jokes they threw at me:

“Imagine Jake’s Luna looking like a cow in the pictures. She’d take up all the space, we’d barely fit.”

They weren’t mateless like him; they were only here to support Jake.

My phone vibrated in my clutch. Speaking of support…

“Isabella,” I answered softly.

“Oh, love, you look so gorgeous! Send me more pictures!” She exclaimed warmly. “I wish I was there to cheer for you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“It’s nothing,” I replied, trying to sound brighter than I felt. “You have to be there with Nathan. He needs you.”

She pouted audibly. “I’m so sorry, bestie. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Now chin up, make sure you let them all know you’re the queen of beauty in that room.”

I chuckled despite myself. “Oh please.”

Isabella poured on more words of encouragement, fierce and loving, until I felt a little steadier.

“Thank you so much, bestie. Say hi to Nathan for me.”

Nathan, her fated mate, was a top surgeon in the Blue Moon Pack, and tonight was a big celebration for his latest achievement. His future Luna had to stand by his side.

We exchanged quick air-kisses through the phone and said goodbye.

I glanced at my screen again. Still no messages or calls from Jake. My chest tightened with fear. What if he didn’t want to be here because of me? What if all the whispers and doubts had finally pushed him away?

Suddenly, a text chimed in.

Jake: On my way. Don’t embarrass me tonight, Lillian. I mean it.

The harsh words stung, it was a sharp reminder of the warnings he’d given me before, about my weight, my image, how I needed to “represent him properly.” But at least he was coming. A little wave of relief washed over me.

Moments later, my mother and sister appeared at my side.

“Jake’s car is here,” my mother said briskly, reaching up to smooth an imaginary wrinkle from my shoulder. “Wipe that ugly frown off your face, Lillian. We don’t want him unhappy when he sees you.”

I forced a smile and smoothed down the front of my red dress, my hands trembling. I had no idea how he would react to me tonight.

Heads turned the moment Jake entered the room. He was dressed in a sharp black tuxedo with a matching red tie, he looked every inch the powerful Alpha. Whispers and admiring glances followed him.

Maria, the manager at the company he worked at, rushed forward and hugged him tightly. He kissed her neck in a greeting manner. Everyone did that in our world, but to me it felt far too intimate.

My heart ached. I remembered the time Maria had a splitting headache during a meeting. Jake had taken her hand, and the pain had vanished, like he was the cure. He’d brushed it off later as nothing, but everyone gossiped about how they could be mates. "Did you see the spark in her eyes when he touched her?"

I swallowed hard and pushed the thought away.

Jake made his way toward me. The easy smile on his face vanished the instant his eyes landed on me. Disgust flashed across his face. I tried to smile anyway, but he brushed past the gesture and simply took his place beside me, stiff and silent.

The room fell quiet as the red moon began to crest outside the tall windows.

“It’s time!” someone shouted.

Everyone reached inward, eyes closing as they tried to connect with the ancient bond.

I turned to face Jake, my heart hammering wildly. I closed my eyes, reaching desperately for my wolf, for any spark of connection.

There was nothing. I felt empty. Just like my first mate-bond ceremony when I had turned eighteen, I couldn't feel my wolf, it was as though she didn't exist. And with a silent wolf, I couldn't find my mate.

My eyes flew open. Jake’s eyes were glowing with golden light. He had found his mate.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Across the room, Maria’s wrist glowed with the same ethereal light. Their wolves were rising, the bond snapping into place. My breath hitched, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

“No…” I whispered.

As Jake started toward her, I grabbed his hand but he flinched violently.

“Don’t touch me!” His voice boomed, his wolf’s power lashing out and making me stumble back.

He crossed the floor in long strides and pulled Maria into his arms. They shared a fierce, passionate kiss, the electric pull of the mate bond so strong it seemed to charge the entire room. I stood frozen in the corner, silent sobs shaking my shoulders.

His friends burst into laughter. “I told you so! She was never going to be the chosen one!”

My mother’s jaw clenched tight. My sister looked on with a mix of sadness and disappointment. What would my father say when he heard?

I should've walked away, accepted what destiny had done, but desperation propelled me forward again. “Jake, please… You love me. You want me,” I cried, my voice choking. “You can reject the bond. We can still be together. We can live our dream—”

“To hell with you and those pathetic dreams!” he snarled. “I will never reject a beauty and power like Maria to be tied to a fat mess like you!”

“Jake, please—”

“Don’t ‘Jake please’ me!” He hissed, eyes blazing. “You wolfless fool! I'm glad you're not my mate! I can't stand the thought of being tied to a fat, disgusting cow like you for the rest of my life.”

Laughter erupted across the room. I cried silently, shrinking under the weight of every stare. I looked around, everyone else had found their mate. Everyone else was fit, glowing, perfect. I didn’t belong here. I never had.

Jake growled low, pulling Maria closer. “I can’t take it anymore. My wolf is dying to have you. I want to mark you right now.”

Maria’s eyes shone with joy. “I’ve waited for this moment my whole life.”

Hand in hand, they walked out of the hall as if I didn’t exist. As if Jake had simply been waiting for the perfect excuse to leave me behind.

I had never meant anything to him.

“Get out of here, fatty!” one of his friends shouted.

The laughter and cheers grew louder, mocking my pain. Tears streaming down my face, I turned and ran from the ceremony, my beautiful red dress trailing behind me. It felt like a curse. I was cursed.