The night of rejection

~Elira~

The first thing I noticed was the light.

It wasn’t soft or gentle, it was blinding, gold and everywhere at once, like the entire palace had been dipped in melted sun and left to shine, and for a moment, just a moment, I forgot about the chains around my wrists and the fear sitting heavy in my chest.

I had never seen anything like it, not in my village and not even in the stories the elders used to tell under dying firelight.

My feet dragged slightly against the polished floors as the guards pushed us forward, a line of girls dressed in silks that did not belong to us, fabrics too fine for bodies like ours and yet forced onto us like decoration, like we were offerings meant to be admired and discarded.

“Don’t stare,” one of the girls beside me whispered, her voice trembling, but I couldn’t help it because my eyes moved on their own, wide and curious as they traced the high ceilings painted with wolves and moons and kings, the chandeliers hanging like frozen stars, and the walls dripping in wealth I could not even begin to understand.

A soft breath left my lips before I could stop it, and I quickly lowered my head, my fingers curling into the thin fabric of my dress as my heart began to pound faster.

‘We’re really here…’

The guards stopped and so did we, and when the large doors ahead of us opened, music spilled out, rich and deep, pulling us into something far bigger than I could grasp.

“Move,” the guard behind me muttered as he shoved me forward, and I stumbled slightly before steadying myself.

Then I saw it, the ballroom stretching endlessly before me, glowing and alive, filled with bodies moving in rhythm, laughter echoing softly, silk brushing against silk. This wasn’t just a gathering, it was a display, a selection, a reminder of who mattered and who didn’t.

We were led to the side and lined up, not as guests but as objects, and I could feel the weight of their stares as they looked at us, some curious, some amused, and some already dismissing us before even knowing who we were.

My throat tightened as I kept my head lowered, afraid that if I looked too long, I would shatter under the weight of it all.

“Tonight,” a voice rang out across the hall, smooth and commanding, “we celebrate strength, loyalty… and destiny,” and a murmur spread across the room as the word settled heavily in the air.

I lifted my gaze slowly then, just enough to see past the moving bodies, past the masks, past the glittering distractions, and that was when I saw him.

At first, only a glimpse of a figure seated above the rest, his posture relaxed but powerful in a way that made everything else feel smaller, like the entire room bent around him without effort.

The Alpha King.

My breath caught as I stared, unable to look away, because even from a distance, there was something about him that pressed against my skin and slipped into my lungs, something that made it hard to breathe.

His face was partially hidden by a mask, but it did nothing to lessen him, as sharp features still showed through, dark hair falling just enough to frame a face that was both beautiful and dangerous, while his eyes remained distant and uninterested as beautiful princesses moved around him, their bodies swaying, their laughter soft, and their hands boldly all over him.

But he didn’t react, didn’t touch, and didn’t even pretend to care.

‘He looks… bored,’ the thought came quietly, and I almost pitied them for the way they tried so hard to be seen.

And then everything changed.

It hit me suddenly, sharp and overwhelming, like something snapped inside my chest, and a gasp left my lips as my hand flew to my heart, a strange heat spreading through me, fast and consuming.

My pulse raced wildly, drowning out the music, the voices, everything, and for a second, I thought I might fall where I stood.

‘What is this…?’

Then I heard it, a voice, deep and cold, slipping into my mind like it belonged there.

“Mine.”

My eyes widened as I froze, my breath catching painfully in my throat, and without thinking, without control, my gaze lifted again.

He was already standing, the Alpha King rising abruptly as his chair scraped against the floor, his entire body going still like a predator that had just caught a scent, and the shift in the room was immediate even if the silence wasn’t complete.

His head turned slowly as his eyes scanned the crowd, searching, hunting, and when they found me, my breath stilled, my thoughts froze, and the world around me went quiet.

His gaze locked onto mine and the feeling returned, stronger now, deeper, something ancient wrapping around me and pulling me toward him in a way that felt inevitable.

‘Mate…’

The word echoed softly in my mind, fragile and uncertain, and my lips parted slightly as I stared at him, my heart trembling with something I didn’t understand.

He was beautiful in a way that felt dangerous, with power etched into every line of his face and darkness resting easily on him like it belonged there, his presence overwhelming even from where he stood.

‘He’s… mine…?’

The hope came anyway, small and foolish, rising in my chest before I could stop it.

And then his expression changed, and the disgust on his face was clear and sharp, hitting me harder than anything else could have.

My chest tightened painfully as his gaze darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line as if the very sight of me offended him.

“No,” he said, his voice cold and firm, and the word cut through the room like a blade.

He didn’t look away as he spoke again, louder this time and filled with authority, “Bring her.”

My stomach dropped instantly as hands grabbed me, rough and unkind, dragging me forward before I could react, pulling me out of the line and into the center of the room where everyone could see.

I stumbled as they forced me to my knees, my breath uneven and my heart racing uncontrollably as the weight of every gaze pressed down on me.

I couldn’t look up at first because I was too aware of the silence, of the shame creeping under my skin, and of how small I suddenly felt.

“Look at me,” his voice came again, quieter now but far more dangerous, and I hesitated before slowly lifting my head.

He was closer now, too close, his presence felt suffocating and overwhelming, his eyes darker up close and colder, and as they looked down at me, there was no warmth in them at all.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

My throat tightened as I struggled to speak, “I’m from the southern villages, my king,” my voice barely steady as I forced the words out.

His expression didn’t soften, if anything, it grew worse.

“You are a slave,” he said flatly, not even asking.

“Yes, my king,” I replied, the words burning as they left my lips.

He looked at me then, really looked, his gaze moving slowly over me like he was assessing something beneath him, something unworthy, and I felt stripped bare under it.

The bond pulsed again, weaker now, confused and hurting in a way I didn’t understand.

He stepped back suddenly like I had burned him.

“I, Kael Draven,” he began, his voice rising so all could hear, sharp and absolute, “reject you.”

My heart stopped as the words echoed through the hall.

“I reject you as my mate.”

A gasp spread across the room, loud and cruel, and something inside me shattered as the meaning settled in.

“No…” I whispered, the sound breaking as it left me.

Pain tore through my chest, real and unbearable, as my fingers clutched at my dress and my breathing turned uneven, something deep inside me cracking open.

‘Why…?’

Tears blurred my vision and fell before I could stop them, hot as they slid down my cheeks.

His gaze remained cold and unmoved, showing no sign of hesitation.

“If you speak of this bond again,” he continued, his voice merciless, “you will be punished.”

The final blow landed clean and cruel.

My head lowered slowly as I could hear was my own heartbeat breaking under the weight of it words.

‘I wasn’t enough…’

The guards grabbed me again and pulled me away, but I didn’t fight or resist because something inside me had already given up.

And as the music returned, as the laughter followed, and as the night continued like nothing had happened, I realized something quietly…

I will never be the same again.