Chapter 3

Danielle

“Enough!”

I yelled at him, shocking him for a moment. I could tell by the way he reacted that he didn’t expect him to yell at him like that.

“How dare you?”

“How dare I not?”

I yelled at him again. Did he expect me to just take whatever he tells me and not react? Who does that? Certainly not me. I don’t take disrespect.

“It’s understandable if you don’t want to honor the mating thing and want out but don’t fucking talk down on me! Also, who even said I wanted you in the first place? I just got excited because I thought we would be on the same page but now that I know that you don’t want this, I can pretend it never happened and you can continue being the way you were before this whole thing started.”

I let out. yes, I might still be hurting but there’s no need for him to know. I am a big girl and can deal with a minor heart break. Heck, it wasn’t even a heart break, more like disappointment because finding my mate didn’t turn out as I would have expected.

“I know the like of you, you won’t stop pestering me about the mate thing and I want to make it very clear that I don’t want you! I will never want a flawed hybrid like you.”

Even though his words hurt, I just nodded.

“Okay, I get it that you don’t want me, and let me make one thing clear! You don’t need to worry about me pestering you. I am way too big for shits like that. Don’t worry, I won’t even tell anyone about what almost happened. In fact, it never happened. You can go ahead and match with anyone you want.”

I told him firmly.

“I already matched with someone my level. Someone with class and a good family background. A fun breed and not half and half like you.”

Half and half. I haven’t had that in a while. There was a time when that was my nickname because so many shifters referred to me as half and half. Especially after I moved to the city. That was before I found the clan. Now my clan beta used the same slur. The same beta who should be my mate but he rejected me so coldly even before I realized that we were mates.

If I didn’t bump into him, I probably would never have known that we were supposed to be mates. Now I wish I hadn’t bumped into him. I wish I had just gone home feeling sad about not matching with anyone. That would have been easier to bear.

“You don’t have to throw slurs at me. I already told you that it’s fine if you don’t want to be with me. also, congratulations on matching with someone you think fits you.”

I told him and started to walk away feeling stupid for even thinking that we would end up in bed together. If I weren’t on the verge of tears because of how stupid I felt, I would have actually laughed.

“Stop right there!”

Manuel called out and I stopped walking immediately. I turned back to him wondering what he wanted but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he walked up to me, took my hand, and started dragging me back the way we came. I didn’t like the way he was dragging me so I decided to remove myself from him.

“Let me go, Manuel.”

I told him lightly while trying to pull free but he didn’t let up nor did he stop walking.

Manuel!”

I yelled at his name. he looked at me for a second before he continued walking again and dragging me with him.

“I can’t let you just go like that. I have to make sure you never disturb me ever again.”

He told me as he continued to drag me until we were back inside the hall again. I didn’t know what he was going to do but I knew from the way he was acting that it would be bad so I tried to pull away from him.

“Let me go!”

I yelled at him but he didn’t listen. He kept dragging me until we got to the middle of the hall. The music suddenly stopped and everyone had their eyes on us. some even had their phones out. I tried to break free from his hold but he was stronger than me so it was useless fighting against him. he waited until he had everyone attention before finally releasing me.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I yelled at him in anger, rubbing my wrist where he had held me so tightly that it hurt as soon as he let go. I don’t know why he felt the need to drag me all the way here. I already accepted that he doesn’t want me so why would he even pull me here for others to see us argue? I turned around and started to walk away but his voice stopped me

“Everyone listen up.”

I turned around wondering what he had to say that he had to drag me back in here just to say it. everyone had their attention on him and me. I hated the attention and was about to leave again when he started talking and I felt the walls of the hall closing in on me.

“That thing over there thinks just because we have a connection means that I will accept her as my mate so I am here to let everyone here and whoever else wants to listen that I want nothing to do with her. As I don’t want any misunderstanding in the future, I will make it loud and clear, I, Beta Manuel of the Nightshade clan want nothing to do with Danielle Nolan half wolf, half bear so basically a social reject. I want nothing to do with that so in front of everyone, I reject you, Danielle, and proclaim that I never want to have anything to do with you. Ever.”

I opened my mouth but I couldn’t get any words out. I couldn’t believe he dragged me here just to publicly humiliate me. If I had pressed on with wanting to be his mate, I would have understood his need to reject me in public. But I accepted his rejection and even assured him that I won’t talk to him about it again yet he still did something like this?

I didn’t need to look around to see that everyone had their phones out and were recording my humiliation. I could already picture the headlines in major blogs tomorrow and just thinking about all made me sick.

“How could you?”

I managed to ask when I found my voice again.

“How could you do this, Manuel? How could you?”

My voice broke and that made me mad at myself. I refuse to be weak. I refuse to let him get away with humiliating me like this.

“I don’t want you either!”

I yelled at the top of my voice.

“Fuck you, Manuel! Who the fuck wants you anyway? Social reject? Look at yourself and look at me then tell me who looks more like a social reject between the two of us!”

I fired at him and the hall erupted in laughter and some people even cheered. It’s not like it mattered anyway because I knew they were all just looking for drama.

“How dare you?”

Manuel roared when he realized that not everyone was on his side like he expected. It gave me some sort of power and happiness to see him lose his cool. Too can play his silly games.

“How dare I not? How dare you? You reject me? fuck you I reject you and your smelly shit face.”

I fired at him and everyone booed. Okay, maybe that wasn’t a great comeback but it was too late to take it back anyway.

“See, this is why I never wanted you. You are too uncultured to be my mate. You lowlife hybrid.”

I couldn’t find a quick comeback for what he said. I opened and closed my mouth a handful of times while trying to come up with the right thing to say.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said no one wants you, Danielle.”

Manuel went on without mercy and I couldn’t do anything but just stare at him.

“You have been coming to this ceremony every year without finding anyone who wants you and you think I would want you? Don’t kid yourself, Danielle. I can tell you that no one wants you in this hall. Some many potential mates and no one would ever choose you. If you think I am lying, then let’s test out the theory right here. Anyone who wants to take this—this thing, come forward now,”

Everyone went silent at his words, not a single person spoke or moved. Not like I expected anyone to suddenly pick interest in me. I clenched my shaking hands into fist and held my ground even though everything within me screamed at me to run out of the hall and never look back. I didn’t move. not an inch. Not even when people started talking and laughing. Laughing at me.

“I will take her.”

A voice rang out and everyone went silent again.

“I will take her,”

This time the voice was closer. A very familiar voice. I didn’t need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. There’s only one man I know in the whole world who carries so much power in his voice and can command a whole hall full of shifters.

Alpha Andres Gonzalo, the alpha of the Wildheart pack. One of the most feared and respected packs in the whole country. The one man I spent the better part of my teenage life crushing on. The same man I knew at a young age that I would never have.

The only man that I have ever cried for. Don’t ask me why I cried for him. it’s not like we dated or he broke my heart or anything like that. just that something happened to him years ago and it crushed me too because at that time I liked him so much that seeing him in pain made me feel pain too.

That was until I found out just how terrible of a person he actually was. I don’t even want to think about it but honestly, he was no different from Manuel. Heck, if I am being honest, he’s worse than Manuel. Wait a moment. Did he just? My brain backtracked a little to what he said and I couldn’t believe it.