Chapter 2

SELENE WOLFE POV

The growl that echoed through the kitchen sent shivers down my spine. I turned, my heart racing with hope and trepidation, expecting to see my long-awaited mate. And there he was, Damon Steele, the Alpha's son, Xander and Xavier's best friend, my secret crush.

Our eyes locked, and for a moment, I dared to believe that the cruel twist of fate had granted me the gift of a mate on my eighteenth birthday. But that hope crumbled when I saw the look in his eyes.

Disgust, disdain, and something much worse than indifference filled his gaze. I took a tentative step toward him, my trembling hand outstretched, wanting to touch him, to feel the bond that was supposed to be there. But he recoiled as if my touch burned him, stepping back with a sneer.

"What are you doing, Omega?" he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "Did you actually think you could be my mate?" I couldn't find my voice, my throat constricted with the pain of his rejection.

The words escaped me in a whisper, "Damon, please, I thought—" His laughter cut me off, a bitter, mocking sound that sent a fresh wave of tears streaming down my cheeks. "You thought what, Selene? That I would accept you as my mate? My idea of a mate is someone classy, someone strong, not a pathetic, classless Omega like you."

His words hit me like a physical blow, each one a dagger to my already broken heart. I stumbled back, trying to make sense of this sudden, crushing reality. Damon, the man I'd secretly loved and longed for, had become my tormentor, and his words seared into my soul.

"You're not worthy of being anyone's mate," he continued, his voice cruel. "You'll never belong to me or any other Alpha. You're a disgrace to the pack." The weight of his words pressed me down, as if an anchor was tied to my heart. I felt small, insignificant, and more rejected than I'd ever imagined.

My entire existence had led me to this moment, a moment where the dream of finding my mate was shattered in the cruelest way possible.

Desperation welled up within me, and I choked back a sob, trying to make him see the real me, the one who had endured so much, who had hoped for a love that would heal her wounds. "Damon, please, you don't understand. I've been through so much. I'm not the weak girl you think I am. I can change; I can become strong."

He scoffed, his eyes filled with condescension. "Change? You think you can change? You've always been and will always be a disappointment, Selene. No amount of change can erase the fact that you're wolfless."

I couldn't stop the tears now, the pain unbearable. I was an Omega, and I'd always known it, but to have the Alpha's son, my supposed mate, confirm it in the cruelest way was a blow I could barely withstand.

"Damon, please," I whispered, my voice cracking, "I may not have a wolf, but I have a heart, a soul, and I can love you like no other." His eyes grew colder, if that were possible. "Love? You know nothing of love, Omega.

My mate will be someone who can protect, who can stand by my side, someone worthy of the title, Luna." His words echoed in my ears, and the pain in my chest became almost unbearable. I had held on to the belief that love could conquer all, that it could mend the deepest wounds, but Damon's rejection had shattered that belief.

I had never felt more isolated and unwanted in my life.

"I, Damon Steele, son of Alpha Dominic Steele, hereby reject you, Selene Wolfe, as my mate," he declared, his voice cold and final, each word a nail in the coffin of my hopes and dreams.

The words cut through me like a blade, and my world crumbled. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the rejection. My pleas turned frantic, my voice filled with desperation. I felt as if the ground had dropped from beneath me, leaving me in freefall.

My mind raced with thoughts and pleas as I fell deeper into the abyss of rejection. I clung to the last shred of hope, my voice trembling with desperation.

"Damon, please, don't do this," I begged, my voice choked with tears. "I love you, and I can change, I promise. I can become the Luna you need, the mate you deserve. Please, please give me a chance."

But he was unyielding, his expression unchanged, and his words only grew harsher. "You'll never be what I need, Selene. You're nothing but a burden, a disgrace. There's no place for someone like you in my life, in my pack."

Aria, one of Damon's sisters, walked into the kitchen, her demeanor completely unaffected by the emotional turmoil that had just unfolded before her. She strolled over to the kitchen counter, her gaze fixated on the peanut butter jar, and she picked it up without a word.

Tears streamed down my face as I realized the irrevocable truth. He was right; he was my mate, but he didn't want me. The bond that had connected us was being severed, and I felt it shatter like glass. It was as if half of my soul was being torn into pieces.

I clutched my chest, trying to quell the pain, but it was a futile attempt. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional torment that enveloped me. My heart was shattered, and I was left with the harsh reality that I would never be loved, cherished, or protected by the one person I had hoped for all my life.

Damon's rejection had not only broken my heart, but it had severed the bond that connected us. I was no longer his mate, and the emptiness that settled in me was a void that I knew would never be filled. My world had crumbled and the next minute I fell into darkness.