The Rejection

Ella

As soon as I was outside, my feet moved of their own accord, and I took off running. The wind rushed through my hair, and the world behind me faded into the distance.

I didn’t stop until I was deep in the woods, far from the pack house, far from them. I needed to be alone. I needed to think. Never in a million years did I imagine this would happen.

“This is so cruel. Anybody, anybody but them,” I muttered as I ran.

I didn’t know where I was headed, but I let my feet guide me. My heart pounded in my chest, and every time I thought about it, I felt the urge to get farther and farther away from them.

Yet, the bond tugged at me, relentless, gnawing at my mind, telling me I belonged with them— that they were my mates.

It unnerved me, but the most heartbreaking part was that they didn’t want me. Of course, they didn’t. Who would want the omega? The wolf perceived as the weakest link, the one everyone thought they were better than.

I collapsed against a tree, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I tried to steady my breathing, but the cold air stung my lungs, failing to drown out the ache in my chest. How could this be happening?

I had dreamed of finding my mate one day, of being loved and cherished, as the stories said. But not like this. Not with them.

Lucian and Kade had always made it clear how they saw me— beneath them. Weak. Pathetic. The omega who didn’t belong in their world.

And now, fate had twisted the knife by binding me to them in the cruelest way possible.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. I could rest now; it was quieter here. I was safe, and I could finally process this new reality. But a rustle in the bushes made my wolf bristle, and my eyes flew open, widening in shock.

I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Their scent hit me before they even stepped into view— earth, pine, and something distinctly powerful.

The bond thrummed between us, alive and taunting.

Lucian was the first to step forward, his blonde hair slicked back, his eyes burning with anger. I trembled. It seemed as if they had materialized out of thin air. Had they been following me this entire time?

I stood, wanting to run, but Kade blocked my path. I froze, watching his face, a mask of disbelief and frustration.

“We need to talk,” Lucian said, his voice sharp. I turned to face him, forcing my breath to steady.

I tried to relax, but I was cornered. There was no way out, and the irony was, no matter where I went, they would always find me. I groaned, running my hands through my hair. “I don’t want to be here,” I muttered, folding my arms.

“You think we’re enjoying this?” Kade snapped, stopping mid-step. His disbelief was clear as he watched me, hands shoved into his pockets.

“I can’t say. You seem to enjoy making my life a living hell,” I shot back, and Lucian chuckled darkly.

“Oh, yes, we enjoy that. But this situation? This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Lucian replied. His eyes locked with mine, full of irritation.

Growing weary of the back-and-forth, I shrugged. “Then there’s nothing to talk about. None of us wanted this, so message received. Can you leave me alone now?”

Kade moved to stand beside his brother, arms crossed, his hair a disheveled mess. He looked more distressed than Lucian, whose anger seemed to radiate from him. But Kade’s confusion was evident, a stark contrast to his brother’s fury.

“You don’t get it. This wasn’t supposed to happen. There’s no way someone like you could be our mate.”

“Someone like me,” I echoed, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

The words stung, but I swallowed the hurt, refusing to let them see how much it affected me. “I didn’t ask for this either. But the bond is real, whether you like it or not.”

Lucian’s jaw clenched, fists tightening at his sides. “We’re Alphas, Ella. We need someone strong by our side. Someone worthy of leading this pack. You’re...” He trailed off, but I already knew what he was going to say. In their eyes, I was nothing. Not strong enough. Not worthy.

The rejection hung thick in the air, suffocating. My wolf whimpered inside me, but I held my ground.

I had always been good at surviving, enduring the pain, the insults, the icy stares. This was just another wound to add to the collection.

“Go ahead, then,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Reject me. Get it over with. What are we dancing around for?”

Lucian’s eyes flickered with something— hesitation? Pain? It was gone before I could be sure.

Kade’s expression remained unreadable as his brother stepped closer, towering over me. I forced myself to meet his gaze, though it made my heart ache.

“I, Lucian Blackthorn, reject you, Ella Harper, as my mate,” he said, his voice steady and cold.

The bond snapped, a sharp, searing pain shooting through my chest. I gasped, staggering back, clutching my heart as if I could hold the pieces together. But they were already breaking, crumbling under the weight of his words.

Kade didn’t move, his eyes locked on mine. For a moment, I thought— hoped that he might not go through with it. It was foolish, but I needed him to feel something. But then his expression hardened, and he stepped forward.

“I, Kade Blackthorn, reject you, Ella Harper, as my mate,” he announced, his voice quieter than Lucian’s, but just as final.

The second rejection hit like a wave, doubling the pain. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching my chest as if that would stop the agony from ripping through me.

My wolf howled inside. Furious, heartbroken.

They didn’t care. They turned and walked away without another word, leaving me alone in the woods, shattered and rejected.

I stayed there for what felt like hours; the cold creeping into my bones. The pain eventually dulled, but the ache, the emptiness, remained.

I had always known they hated me, but hearing those words, feeling the bond break, was worse than I ever imagined.

But I would survive this too. I had to.

The bond was gone, but I was still here. I wasn’t going to let them break me, not completely.