CHAPTER FOUR: THE FIRST DAY OF REJECTION

I woke up to silence again.

Not the peaceful kind.

The kind that felt like a cage.

The air in the alpha wing was too still, as if the building itself was holding its breath. The mark on my neck had faded slightly overnight, but the pain in my chest remained.

I sat up slowly and stared at the ceiling, trying to force myself to breathe normally. The bond pulsed weakly, like a distant drumbeat.

It was still there.

But it was not mine.

Not really.

I pushed myself out of bed and walked to the mirror.

The reflection that stared back at me was unfamiliar.

My eyes were darker, heavier. My hair fell in messy waves around my face. I looked like a girl who had been chosen by the strongest alpha in the pack… and then discarded.

I swallowed hard.

I didn’t know if I was angry or afraid.

Or both.

The door opened suddenly, and a servant stepped in with a tray.

“Your breakfast, Elara,” she said softly.

She placed the tray on the table and hesitated.

“I’m sorry,” she added quietly.

“For what?” I asked, my voice sharp.

The servant glanced away, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“For everything,” she whispered.

My heart twisted.

I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to.

I grabbed the tray and forced myself to eat, my mind racing.

The pack’s silence wasn’t just a reaction to Kael.

It was a reaction to me.

To the fact that I was now his mate, and he had chosen to act like I was nothing.

I finished my food quickly and stood.

“I’m going outside,” I said.

The servant flinched.

“Please be careful,” she said.

I nodded and left the room.

The sun was high and the pack grounds were busy. Warriors were training, servants were carrying supplies, and pups were running around laughing.

I stood in the middle of it all and felt… invisible.

It was like I was there, but not there.

I tried to catch someone’s eye.

A warrior looked away quickly.

A servant hurried past me.

Even the pups didn’t notice me.

My chest tightened.

I took a step toward the training ground where Kael had been yesterday.

And then I stopped.

Because I saw him.

He was standing at the center of the clearing again, watching the warriors train. His face was expressionless, his eyes cold.

He didn’t notice me at first.

But the moment I stepped forward, his gaze snapped to me.

The bond pulsed sharply, like a warning.

I felt it in my bones.

He was angry.

Not at me.

At himself.

At the fact that he had claimed me.

At the fact that the bond existed.

At the fact that he couldn’t break it.

Kael didn’t move.

He didn’t come toward me.

He just stared.

I swallowed hard.

I took another step.

Then another.

My heart hammered in my chest, and the bond pulsed stronger.

I stopped at the edge of the clearing.

“Kael,” I said softly.

He didn’t answer.

I tried again.

“Kael.”

His eyes narrowed.

“What do you want?” he asked coldly.

The words cut deeper than any blade.

“I want to understand,” I said.

His jaw tightened.

“You don’t need to understand,” he replied.

“But I do,” I said, my voice trembling.

Kael looked at me like I was a nuisance.

“A mate doesn’t question,” he said.

I felt the anger rise inside me like a fire.

A mate doesn’t question?

A mate doesn’t feel?

A mate doesn’t deserve to know why she was rejected?

My eyes burned.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

“I’m not asking for your permission to exist,” I said quietly.

The bond pulsed again, sharper.

Kael’s expression flickered.

For a moment, I saw something in his eyes that I didn’t understand.

Regret.

But it vanished quickly, replaced by the same coldness.

“I have responsibilities,” he said.

“I know,” I replied.

“Then stop pretending this is just about you,” he snapped.

The words hit me like a punch.

I stared at him, stunned.

“I’m not pretending,” I said softly.

Kael stepped forward, his voice lowering.

“This is about the pack,” he said. “And the pack cannot see weakness.”

My heart pounded.

“Are you calling me weak?” I asked.

Kael’s eyes flashed.

“I’m calling you what you are,” he said. “A mistake.”

The bond screamed.

Not with pain.

With rage.

With humiliation.

I took a step back.

“You don’t get to say that,” I said, voice trembling with fury.

Kael’s gaze hardened.

“You’re not my mate,” he said.

I felt the world tilt.

My throat went dry.

“Then what am I?” I whispered.

Kael looked at me like I was nothing.

“A liability,” he said. “A bond that makes you weak.”

The words were brutal.

But they weren’t surprising.

I had felt it since the moment the bond had gone silent.

I wasn’t his mate.

I was his mistake.

I stood there, shaking.

The bond pulsed like a heartbeat.

Then it broke.

Not completely.

But enough to leave me feeling hollow.

Kael turned away.

He walked back to the center of the clearing, ignoring me completely.

The warriors watched silently.

No one stepped in.

No one said anything.

Because no one wanted to be the next target.

And because no one dared to challenge the Alpha.

I stood there for a moment, unable to move.

Then I turned and walked away.

The bond tugged at me, pulling me back toward him like a leash.

But I ignored it.

I refused to be controlled by something that didn’t care about me.

I walked away from the clearing.

Away from the pack.

Away from the alpha who had claimed me and then discarded me.

I walked into the forest again, my heart heavy.

I didn’t know where I was going.

But I knew I couldn’t stay.

Not when I was being treated like a mistake.

Not when the bond was being used against me.

Not when Kael didn’t want me.

The forest welcomed me again, its silence wrapping around me like a blanket.

I sat on the ground and leaned my back against a tree.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

But the bond pulsed again, like a warning.

And this time, it felt like something else.

Something darker.

Something I couldn’t explain.

I opened my eyes and looked at the sky.

The sun was still high.

But in the distance, the clouds were gathering.

A storm was coming.

And I knew, deep in my bones, that my life was about to change.