Chapter 1

Emerald

"I, Matthew Sainthood, rejected you, Emerald Green, as my fated mate," he said without remorse. His eyes were cold and brutal. There was no hint of regret or any other emotion in it.

The coldness of the night couldn't freeze my heart any further, though it tried its best to numb the pain of rejection that ran so deep.

Returning to this Pack felt like a coveted nightmare, a desperate hope for an increasingly distant fairy-tale ending. I bit my lip, yearning desperately for a change of fate, praying with all my might that Matthew would take back the words he had uttered.

But he didn't.

"Are you deaf or something?" he angrily snapped. "Accept my rejection, and let's put an end to this."

My heart felt as if it were being squeezed, making it hard to breathe as I processed his rejection. I never expected my mate to be so heartless.

A hundred 'why's' raced through my mind like a relentless current, but I couldn't muster the courage to ask Matthew all my questions.

However, all of my irresolute ideas had been lighted out with a clear response when another woman showed up, snaking her arms around his waist. She's probably the reason why he rejected our connection. Just the thought of it angers me.

I've never been one to seek chaos, but in this moment, all I could see was red. There was a desperate urge to put the woman he had certainly chosen in her place and reclaim what I believed was rightfully mine. I longed to embrace my inner villain just this once, but my conscience wouldn't allow it.

It would be such a cheap move to pick a fight just because my mate rejected me. I don't like the idea of it.

I shut my eyes tightly as the pain swelled inside me, a tumultuous blend of every bitter emotion one could endure. Maybe, just maybe, this rejection was a painful redirection toward something more meaningful. I yearned to convince myself that everything would be fine, but the pain felt utterly overwhelming and insurmountable.

'We weren't molded just to cry over a spoilt bond, Emerald. Our life doesn't end here,' Diamond, my wolf, reminded me.

Diamond looked vulnerable and heartbroken, but she was logical enough to think on the brighter side. She was right. Being rejected doesn't mean an end to our existence.

'Get a hold of yourself and accept his rejection. Let's search for a more suitable replacement. He's not worth shedding our tears,' Diamond added, though the pain in her eyes was evident. It was her ego speaking, safeguarding the last shred of pride we had left.

I heaved a sigh and gathered all my strength. Looking weak and devastated over a certain rejection felt so wrong. Despite my wavering strength and weak spirit, I meet his gaze.

"I, Emerald Green, accepted your rejection," I faintly spoke as my heart broke into tiny little pieces. No matter how much I tried to mask everything with strength, it was to no avail. My eyes welled up in tears but before he could see them fall. I turned my back on him.

Matthew, I swear to the heavens you'll regret everything.

Instead of returning home, I went directly to the nearest bar and drenched myself with liquor. Alcohol would not solve everything, but it would help alleviate my internal torment. I am not a damsel in distress in need of a man to save me from the grip of fate.

I moved out of the pack, traveling abroad at a young age to study medicine in the hopes of finding a treatment for my ailment, which I successfully did. I was able to heal myself.

This rejection wouldn't be difficult for me to deal with, too. I know I'll be fine. I have to.

I chunk a glass of tequila followed by a sigh. If only I'd known my return would end up like this. I should have stayed in the States and had my parents visit me. Coming here felt like a mistake. However, there's nothing I can do about it anymore. Everything has already happened as fate planned. I have no control over it.

"How long have you been here? I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time. There was an emergency at the hospital, and there weren't any available doctors to assist the patient," Mathilda, one of my closest friends in the homestead, explained as she arrived.

She was one of the people that persuaded me to rejoin the pack. Red Moon is in dire need of modern doctors, she claimed, urging me to return here out of allegiance to the Alpha. Unfortunately, I came here just to be rejected by my mate, who happened to be the Alpha's little brother. It was a surprising turn of events.

"It's fine. I'm enjoying my solitude."

My heart is throbbing. I wished to open up. But I lack the strength to do so. Years of living alone in the States have taught me to be private and that not every problem should be disclosed. I had lost my ability to speak my mind. I held every grief, disappointment, and hurt all too well. Nobody could figure them out.

"How's the party in the pack house? Did you meet the Alpha?" Mathilda inquired.

I nodded. "The party was..." I paused as Matthew's rejection flashed in the back of my head, "... it's fine."

It wasn't.

I went there with a light spirit only to get out with a broken heart.

It was only an hour ago that Matthew and I met and discovered our connection. However, he was merciless enough not to let the night pass without rejecting me. The event was supposed to be fun. I was meant to have a good time there. But he ruined everything. He was a beast.

I stood up, preparing to take the dancefloor, shaking my head at the irony of my thoughts. I'll dance this sadness away, hoping it will help me recoup from the sorrow my dearest mate put on me.

I left Mathilda where she was sitting and made my way to the wilding individuals. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes completely contaminated the air. It stinks, but that's the least of my concerns for the time being.

I don't typically indulge in things that aren't good for my health, but with my pain, this is an exception. I moved my body to the sensuous music while holding a drink in my right hand.

"Fuck you, Matthew. I hope you'll rot in hell!" I yelled as I felt a cold hand snake on my waist.

I was about to grind my hips, regardless of who touched me. However, a familiar voice whispered in my ear, and before I could process a thing, Matthew's angry eyes met mine.

"What the fuck are you doing, Emerald?"

My eyes widened as thought slowly processed in my head. His crisp curses at me eventually registered, making my blood boil in anger as his rejection flashed back.

Matthew really had the audacity to yell at me after he freaking rejected me. I scoffed, glaring at him with utmost disgust as his jaw clenched.

What is he angry for? And why is he here?

"Is this the kind of woman you are? A hoe?" he said with gritted teeth. He didn't stutter even for a bit.

Out of sheer anger, I unconsciously splash the liquor on his thick face. Matthew is unexpectedly unbelievable. Never in my entire life have someone ever called me a hoe. He was the first one to ever hurt and insult me this way.

"Who do you think you are to judge me, Matthew? I've never met someone as hypocritical as you. Get lost and fucking mind your own business," I irritatedly pushed him.

I walked away from Matthew and decided to proceed in the opposite direction. I don't want to be near him. However, I only took a few steps away when he firmly grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop.

"You're not going home? Really, Emerald? You want to dance in this hellhole of hungry men?" he frustratedly asks.

I raised my brows and laughed. "You don't tell me what to do, Matthew," I paused, scanning the entire club. "I can dance if I want to. Mind you, I can even have sex with whoever I want. I'm no longer your mate."

Matthew's hold on my hand tightened as if he'd broken my bones any minute. He is mad, I can sense it.

"Let go!" I hissed.

How dare he get angry at me. If there's someone who has the right to feel that emotion, it should be me. He fucking rejected me.

"No," he insists. "You're going home."

My sinew of patience broke down. Diamond took over my system, smashing Matthew on the wall. He was caught off guard, giving me the access to do what I wanted to do. I locked him in place as I moved my face on his ears seductively.

"Are you regretting now, Matthew?" I uttered teasingly. "You don't want me, right? Then, fucking leave me alone, hun."

I kissed the tip of his ear and left him on the wall... dumbfounded. It was entertaining to see him in that state. He looks inferior.

The drive to pull a stranger just to infuriate Matthew intensifies within me. I wanted to kiss someone. But that would be a cheap act. I am not born that way. I can do better.

I will certainly not do a petty revenge that I will soon regret in the end.

"What was that?" Mathilda asked after I went back to our space.

I heaved a sigh and shook my head. "It's nothing. He wants to play some childish games. I give him a taste of it."

Mathilda looks doubtful.

"Matthew doesn't act like that. He's always behaved. How come?" she mumbles before drinking her tequila.

I just shrugged my shoulder, discarding her curiosity. The more I entertain her questions, the more I'll give in and expose everything.

I knew Matthew a long time ago, but my memory of him is blurry. I was ten years old when I first met him and his parents in the homestead. He was not a rascal back then. Or was my judgment wrong?