THE REJECTED MATE -003

ELENA'S POV

Two months passed.

I learned the rhythm of the house. Woke before dawn. Reported to Serena. Listened to her complaints. Ran her errands. Served at dinner. Fell into bed exhausted. Did it again the next day.

It was easy. Easier than I expected.

Serena talked constantly. About everything. About nothing. She told me which pack members she hated. Which dresses made her look fat. Which servants she planned to fire. She didn't see me as a person. Just furniture that listened.

Perfect. Furniture didn't get noticed.

I was careful. Always careful. The blockers my grandmother gave me were strong. Herbs I took every morning without fail. They hid my scent completely. Made me smell like nothing. Like Beta. Like anyone.

I stayed away from Caden. Served his food without looking at him. Left rooms when he entered. Kept my head down and my mouth shut.

He didn't notice me. Why would he? I was nothing. Staff. Invisible.

Two months. Safe. Hidden. Waiting.

Then everything shifted.

It was a Tuesday. Afternoon. I was crossing the main hall with laundry. Boring task. Mindless. I wasn't thinking about anything.

Caden walked past. Going somewhere. Not looking at me.

Then he stopped.

Mid-step. Like something hit him.

He turned. Slow. His eyes found me across the hall.

I kept walking. Pretended not to notice. Kept my face blank.

"Wait."

His voice. Sharp. Commanding.

I stopped. Turned. Kept my eyes down.

"Yes, Alpha?"

He walked toward me. Close. Too close. I could feel the heat from his body.

"Look at me."

I looked up. Met his eyes. First time in five years. Really looked at him.

His eyes were confused. Searching. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"Have we met before?"

My heart stopped. Just for a second. I controlled it.

"No, Alpha. I would remember."

He frowned. Kept looking at me. Studying my face.

"Where are you from?"

"Small pack. Eastern mountains. Destroyed years ago."

"Family?"

"Dead. All of them."

He kept staring. Something in his eyes. Something I didn't like.

"You smell..." He stopped. Shook his head. "Never mind."

He walked away. Didn't look back.

I stood there. Heart pounding. Hands shaking.

He felt something. Not memory. Not recognition. Something else. Something deeper.

The bond.

It was impossible. He rejected me. The bond should be dead. Gone. Nothing.

But he felt something. I knew it. Saw it in his eyes.

I finished the laundry. Put it away. Went back to work. Acted normal.

But I felt him watching.

Rest of the day, every time I moved through the house, he was there. Not close. Not speaking. Just watching. From doorways. From windows. From across rooms.

I served dinner. He watched. I cleared plates. He watched. I walked to my room. He watched from the hall.

Mira noticed. Grabbed my arm in the kitchen.

"What's with the Alpha? He keeps looking at you."

"I don't know."

"Did you do something?"

"Nothing. I swear."

She didn't look convinced. But she let it go.

I went to my room. Locked the door. Sat on the bed.

The blockers were strong. My grandmother guaranteed them. No Alpha could smell through them. No one could sense what I really was.

But Caden felt something. The bond was reaching through. Weak. Faint. But there.

I couldn't stay in my room all night. Had to act normal. Had to pretend nothing happened.

I took extra herbs. Doubled the dose. Waited an hour. Then went back to work.

Evening tasks. Folding Serena's clothes. Organizing her schedule. Listening to her complain about the cook.

She was in a mood. Worse than usual.

"He barely looks at me anymore," she said. "Three years of marriage and he acts like I'm not there."

I folded a dress. Said nothing.

"People notice. They talk. They say he's looking for someone else." She laughed. Bitter. "Someone who can give him what I can't."

She looked at me. Sharp.

"Why was he watching you today?"

My hands kept folding. Face calm.

"I don't know, Luna."

"He stood in the hall for ten minutes. Just looking at your door. The servants saw."

"I didn't notice."

She walked closer. Studied my face the way Caden had.

"You're not pretty. Not ugly either. Average. Forgettable." She said it like fact. Not cruel. Just true. "So why is my husband interested?"

"I don't think he's interested, Luna. Probably just distracted. Pack problems."

She kept staring. Looking for something. Anything.

"If I find out you've been near him. Talking to him. Looking at him. You're gone. No warnings. No second chances. Understand?"

"Yes, Luna."

"Get out."

I left. Walked to my room. Closed the door. Leaned against it.

Two months. Safe. Hidden. Invisible.

Now Caden was watching. Serena was suspicious. Everything was shifting.

I touched my face. Stranger's face. Safe face.

The herbs worked. The magic worked. He shouldn't feel anything.

But he did.

I lay on the bed. Stared at the ceiling.

Five years of planning. Two months of waiting. And now, one moment in a hallway changed everything.

He felt something. He was watching. He was asking questions.

And Serena was paying attention now too.

Danger. On both sides.

I should leave. Run. Disappear like my grandmother told me to if things went wrong.

But I didn't come this far to run.

I came for revenge. I came to make him hurt like I hurt.

If he was feeling something, maybe that was good. Maybe that was the start.

Let him wonder. Let him search. Let him feel confused and wrong and not know why.

And when he finally figured it out, when he finally remembered Lily and what he did to her, I'd be there.