The Sting of Rejection

Lily POV

I had spent the last two days preparing for the full moon celebration, a knot of dread and excitement tangled in my chest. It wasn’t just another night—this could be the night I found my mate, my chance to finally escape my uncle’s suffocating grasp. Every ounce of hope I had left was tied to this one event.

I stood in front of the cracked mirror in our cabin, smoothing down my best dress—the one my mother had made for me before she died. My fingers trembled as I tried to braid my hair the way she used to. It had been so long since I felt beautiful since I believed I might be worth something. But tonight… Tonight was different. It had to be.

As I entered the village, I felt the stares of the pack members brush against my skin. I couldn’t tell if they were looks of pity or indifference, but it didn’t matter. They all saw me the same way—a weak girl with nothing to offer. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the burning shame that was always bubbling at the surface. *Focus,* I told myself. *Tonight could change everything.*

The village square was already alive with the hum of excitement. Wolves of all ages were gathering, laughing, talking, and forming connections like it was the easiest thing in the world. I drifted to the edges of the celebration, as I always did, watching from the shadows. I tried to talk to a few people, hoping to strike up a conversation, but no one seemed to notice. The men didn’t even glance my way, and the women looked at me with barely concealed pity.

Except for Jake Carter.

Every time I saw him, my heart pounded so loudly I thought it might leap out of my chest. He was everything I wasn’t—strong, confident, admired by the entire pack. The son of the most powerful family. Jake never noticed me, but I couldn’t help stealing glances at him, hoping for just one moment when our eyes would meet and he’d see me. See me.

*It’s foolish,* I thought bitterly. Jake Carter would never want someone like me. I was nothing, and he was… well, he was everything.

The celebration reached its peak as the pack made its way toward the Full Moon River. My heart raced with every step, my legs shaky as I followed behind the others. The moonlight shimmered on the water’s surface, casting a silvery glow over the scene. Wolves began to spread out, waiting for the ancient magic of the night to reveal their fated mates.

I stood by the riverbank, clutching the fabric of my dress, my palms sweaty with nerves. I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down. *Please,* I prayed silently, *Let tonight be different. Let me be noticed. Let me find my mate.*

And then I felt it. A pull deep inside me, something raw and instinctual that I couldn’t ignore. My eyes snapped open, my breath catching in my throat. It was him. It had to be him.

*Jake.*

I turned slowly, my heart racing as my gaze locked onto him. Jake Carter stood on the opposite side of the river, his powerful frame silhouetted by the moonlight. My entire body trembled as the bond settled into place, the connection between us unmistakable. This was it. This was my chance.

Gathering every ounce of courage I had, I stepped forward. My legs felt like they might give out beneath me, but I forced myself to keep walking. *He’ll feel it too,* I thought. *He has to feel it.*

“Jake,” I called softly, my voice barely more than a whisper. He didn’t turn around. Panic flared in my chest. Maybe he hadn’t heard me.

“Jake!” I called again, louder this time.

He glanced over his shoulder, his face unreadable as his eyes met mine. For a moment, the bond between us surged, filling the air with electric tension. I took a deep breath, stepping closer.

“We’re mates,” I said, my voice trembling. “You’re my mate.”

But Jake didn’t smile. His face twisted into something darker, something cold and unfeeling. “No,” he said, his voice like ice. “That’s impossible.”

I froze, my heart plummeting into my stomach. “What… what do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely holding together.

Jake’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. “You can’t be my mate. I don’t want someone like you.”

His words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I tried to make sense of what was happening. “But the bond,” I whispered. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

For a moment, Jake didn’t respond. He just stared at me, his expression cold and unrelenting. And then, without warning, he turned away.

“I don’t care about the bond,” he said harshly. “I reject you.”

My knees buckled, and I almost collapsed right there on the riverbank. My entire world shattered in an instant. “No… no, you can’t,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Please, Jake, don’t reject me.”

He turned back, his face filled with disgust. “I don’t want a weakling for a mate. I deserve better.”

The words sliced through me like a knife, each one cutting deeper than the last. I had known rejection before, but this… this was different. This was soul-crushing. “I can be strong,” I pleaded, my voice trembling. “I can be everything you need. Just give me a chance.”

Jake’s lips curled into a sneer. “You’ll never be enough for me, Lily.”

And then he was gone. Just like that, he walked away, leaving me standing alone, broken and humiliated in front of the entire pack. I could feel their eyes on me, their pity and judgment pressing down on me like a heavyweight.

I wiped my tears away, my hands shaking as I tried to pull myself together. But the truth was, I had nothing left. Jake had rejected me, and now there was no one left to save me from my uncle.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, and by the time the sun rose the next morning, I was numb. The humiliation of being rejected in front of everyone was unbearable. But worse than that was the crushing realization that I had no way out. No escape from the life my uncle had forced me into.

I wandered through the village, my heart heavy with the weight of my failure. The villagers watched me with a mix of curiosity and pity, whispering amongst themselves as I passed by. I ignored them, too lost in my thoughts to care about their judgments.

And then I saw him.

Jake was standing by the market, laughing and talking with Vivian—the daughter of one of the pack elders. She was beautiful, confident, and everything I wasn’t. And as I watched them together, my heart twisted painfully in my chest.

*How could he move on so easily?* How could he stand there with her, smiling and laughing, as if last night had meant nothing? As if I meant nothing?

I couldn’t stand it.

Without thinking, I marched over to where they were standing, my heart pounding in my chest. “Jake,” I called out, my voice shaking with emotion.

He glanced up, his expression darkening when he saw me. Vivian looked me up and down with barely concealed amusement, her lips curling into a small, mocking smile.

“What do you want, Lily?” Jake asked coldly, his hand still entwined with Vivian’s. His voice was sharp, indifferent as if I were just an annoyance to him now.

I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “We need to talk. Alone.”

Jake scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Please, Jake,” I begged, my voice trembling. “We’re mates. You can’t just—”

“I rejected you,” he snapped, cutting me off. “Get that through your head.”

Vivian stepped closer to him, her arm sliding around his waist. “Maybe you should just let it go, Lily,” she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Jake doesn’t need someone like you.”

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to scream. I wanted to lash out, to make them understand how much this was destroying me. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not with everyone watching.

Jake turned away from me, pulling Vivian closer. “Go home, Lily. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

His words were like a slap to the face. Tears stung my eyes as I turned and fled, my heart shattering all over again. I ran, my feet carrying me as far away from the village as I could get, until the trees swallowed me up, and I found myself deep in the woods.

I collapsed against a tree, gasping for breath, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts. *How could everything go so wrong?*

As I tried to catch my breath, my eyes caught sight of something strange—a large, ancient stone covered in glowing symbols. It stood in the middle of the clearing, pulsing with an eerie light.

Drawn to it, I approached slowly, reaching out to touch its surface. The moment my fingers brushed against it, a voice echoed through the forest.

“Stop”

I whipped around, my heart pounding in my chest. Figures emerged from the shadows, cloaked in black, their eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

Panic surged through me as they surrounded me, their voices low and menacing. “You’ve crossed into our territory,” one of them said, stepping forward.