A PRIDE'S REJECTION.

Chapter: 1

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Darkness enveloped him as he eagerly chased its cold embrace. Tears streamed down his cheeks and blurry eyes scanned the void for comfort. His trembling lips reflected a mix of happiness and fear. However, happiness is fleeting while fear lingers. Ultimately, the two are inseparable companions, for one cannot exist without the other. With great happiness comes the lingering fear of it being too good to be true. No matter how long we anticipate happiness, we often find ourselves questioning its authenticity when it finally arrives. Doubts begin to surface, and fear settles in like an old friend.

This was meant to be the night he celebrated not only his birth, but also the night he found his Fated Pair. As a Pride, he should not be bound to a Fated Pair, but he is not a Purebred. He is the product of a Pride and a Rogue. No one said his life would be easy, but discovering that he is Mated to not just one, but three powerful Lycgers is enough to shock him to death. They had all grown up as friends, and the thought of them being his mates had never crossed his mind. The wind whipped at his face, reminding him that this could all be an illusion.

The full moon illuminated his tear-stained skin, causing his eyes to water even more. His wild, long hair swayed in tune with his erratic movements as he stumbled across the uneven ground. His bare feet felt every crack and hole along the way. Shifting into his human form while running away from the trio, he found himself wearing nothing but ripped jean shorts. The wicked wind brushed against his chilled skin, causing uncontrollable shivers. Wrapping his arms around his chest in an attempt to ward off the freezing temperature, he continued running.

He needed to distance himself from those three as much as possible.

And if they were to catch up with him, he would have no other choice.

At some point, he must have lost his way, as he abruptly stopped at the edge of a cliff. Looking down, he hoped there was still a pathway to cross, or else the descent could be fatal. With no other options left, he took a shaky step forward...

"Dirk!"

A voice so loud it made his ears bleed disrupted his concentration. Startled, he turned on his heels, ready to go in the opposite direction. But before he could escape, another voice shattered the silence, piercing his ears like a stone against a mirror.

"Stop!"

With just one command, he found himself frozen in place. His muscles refused to obey, as if stuck to the ground. And with the commanding voice, he couldn't defy it, not that he wanted to. Even if he tried to resist, their pheromones would overpower him. The air thickened with their scents, making it impossible to resist.

Staring in the direction of their voices, he saw them approaching. Each step resonated within him, their heavy presence felt with every movement. The wind whistled through, carrying their pheromones in its icy wave.

A broken whimper escaped his lips, unable to stop it. His legs trembled from their rooted spots. The air was thick with their scents, making him dizzy. Desperate to escape, he cried harder, convinced they were doing this on purpose. Subduing him with their pheromones, he moaned, the sound reverberating painfully in his head. His body trembled from a combination of adrenaline loss, anxiety, fear, excitement, and arousal. Their scent was too intense, too addicting. It made him even more desperate to return home, to hide from the temptation and pretend none of this happened. But no matter how much he willed himself to do so, his body betrayed him, yielding to their command.

And with their overpowering pheromones...

He grew weaker.

A sudden jolt of pain caused his knees to buckle, and he fell to the ground. His scraped knees stung, but his brain couldn't register the pain just yet. Engulfed by their pheromones, he knelt there, moaning and waiting. His ears perked up, sharp to their approaching footsteps. He raised his head just in time to see three pairs of glowing yellow eyes emerging from the shadows. The forest parted, unveiling their towering figures. The leaves rustled and danced to the beat of their strides. Their bodies gleamed in the moonlight, their golden-furred tails brushing against each other. Their aura radiated power, making him feel the need to bow down, to show respect and submission. Even their pheromones were potent, causing him to sweat as he dropped to the cold earth. Panting, he gulped and lowered his gaze to the ground. His legs quivered uncontrollably, he was soaking through his shorts, breathless and whimpering, he lay helpless against the ground.

A pitiful sight to behold.

They moved in silent steps, one after the next, and finally came to a stop beside the Pride. The trio looked down at the disheveled Pride, who seemed affected by their pheromones yet had none of his own.

Of course, this was to be expected of a Pride. He was not an Omega, and it didn't matter whether he responded to their pheromones or not. He could not emit his own pheromones and therefore could not seduce the Alphas into mating with him.

It was all a futile endeavor.

"Are you alright?" Tricc asked, stepping closer but stopped when he saw the Lion flinch away from him. Frowning, he returned to his feet and took two steps back. "Have it your way," he growled under his breath.

"Stop with the pheromones, brothers," Seth reasoned, and they nodded. "As an Alpha Pride, he could go into pheromone-induced shock if we let him inhale any more than he already has... Look at him!" he exclaimed, pointing towards the Pride who was still curled up on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

It didn't take long for the air to clear out, and Dirk began to breathe once again. His eyes filled with tears, blurring his vision, and his strength slowly returned. The Lycgers watched him recover, making sure to stand a good five feet away from him.

Dirk felt humiliated beyond words. He was a Pride, a Dominant Pride, yet he crumbled at the pheromones of the double-shifters. Angry now, he rose swiftly and glared daggers at all three pairs of yellow eyes watching him intently, as if they were studying their prey, deciding which body part to delve into first.

The thought lingered in his mind, and he shook his head quickly to rid himself of those humiliating thoughts. If he needed to do this, he must do it with a clear mind. He cleared his throat and brushed both arms on his pants to get the dirt off and compose himself enough to address the elephant in their midst.

"Dirk?" Kurt started, but Dirk cut him off by speaking over him.

"I, Dirk Fairpride, reject you, Kurt, Seth, and Tricc Riverbay as my Fated Pairs!" Dirk shouted with a hard glare. He ignored how the Lycgers visibly recoiled at his harsh tone. "From this moment on, I sever all links that bind us as mates. You cannot bond me nor control me, and I will not submit myself to you." The moment he uttered those words, he regretted it, but it was too late to take back what had been spoken in the heat of emotions.

A dark cloud rose and blanketed the moon, creating a cocoon of darkness around them. The stars disappeared with the moon, and the wind stilled, causing the leaves on the branches to cease shaking.

Silence followed.

Not a single sound dared to reach their ears. It was as if time had stopped at that moment. The only thing that could be heard was their heavy breathing, their heartbeats thumping loud enough to deafen the rest of the world. After a while, the silence was broken by a low snarl.

Then it began.

It took hold of Tricc first. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, hands reaching towards the moon marked into his side. He yelled and began to claw at his ribs as the moon marking faded. Worried now, both Seth and Kurt quickly rushed to their brother's side, but they too soon fell to the ground next to Tricc and began to cry out in heartbreaking agony. It was as if their hearts were being ripped out from their chests while still alive. The cries of their anguish were excruciating.

A sudden chill ran down Dirk's spine as he stared wide-eyed at the Lycgers, who were crying loudly, trying to save themselves from the pain. But they were powerless against it. They cried louder, clutching their sides and begging for it to end. Tears streamed down their faces, and their bodies shook as though every muscle was being torn apart. But it wasn't over.

Dirk's knees buckled from the sudden rush of horror. He felt sickened looking upon their distress as he backed away in horror, feeling his legs giving way under him. He could only watch the scene unfolding before him.

He had heard that rejection was painful, but he had never imagined it would be of this magnitude. And at that moment, he wished he could take back the words he had spoken.

Blood.

Their sides began to bleed, the moon markings now nearly gone, leaving what could not even be called a crescent at this point. And worse, it bled. They cried out for help, pleading for mercy from the Goddess above. Dirk watched their blood drip down their sides, soaking the earth, but...

There were no pheromones.

Their blood should have filled the air with the same pheromones they had used to ensnare him before, but somehow Dirk could not smell their pheromones. Just the metallic smell of blood wafting around him. That scent was completely gone, replaced with something else entirely. Something that sent shivers down his spine.

His stomach turned at the thought. Feeling dizzy, he stumbled backward, falling onto his bottom. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he managed to get back on his feet. Once again, he found his steps and began to run away from the scene.

As the double-shifters lay there, weak and helpless, their vision fading, the last blurry image they saw was that of their mate fleeing from their dying presence. Their mate, who had rejected them without hesitation. Not only did he not care, but he hated them enough to run away when they were dying.

Fate is indeed cruel.