Rejection Can Kill

I stand frozen as Alpha Froylan and Former Alpha Jerson converse. My mind tears in two... should I escape or approach my mate?

My heart races with tangled emotions. Truthfully, I am scared. I have nowhere to go, no idea where I could spend the night. I only have the clothes on my back, no money, and I doubt anyone would help me.

I take a deep breath as I hear footsteps drawing near. I am hiding on the other side of the gate, unseen. Why of all places did my feet bring me here?

Would my mate even recognize me? What if he saw me in this state? He saw me just last week, and I looked even worse than I do now.

When Alpha Froylan passes through the gate, I catch a glimpse of his back as he walks away. But then, something shifts. He must have caught my scent because he immediately turns, his eyes widening in shock. His face is as striking as ever in the dim light, and shame burns through me at how I must look.

"Why are you here?" His voice startles me, and his eyes scan me from head to toe, stripping away what little confidence I have.

"I..." I falter, unsure of what to say. Does he even recognize me? "I was looking for my mate," I blurt out, hoping that will make him speak to me directly. I know he feels the bond, just like I do, even though I came here with no plan.

His expression flickers... worry, concern, maybe even something like love but in an instant, it vanishes as he hardens his features.

"Your mate isn't here," he says coldly, turning his back on me and walking away.

My heart shatters into a thousand jagged pieces as tears blur my vision. I expected rejection, but not like this... not this sharp, not this cruel.

"I know you're my mate. I know you feel it, too," I say, my voice trembling yet determined. Maybe, just maybe, I can change his mind. Maybe he will turn and claim me.

He faces me again, but only to crush that hope. "I am an Alpha, and I cannot have someone like you as my mate," he says, his voice dark and unyielding.

The words twist inside my chest, robbing me of breath. Of course... who would want me? I am nothing but a cursed child of the devil.

Tears stream freely down my face, but I force a smile through the pain. "I'm Vienna," I say, watching his eyes widen in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

To sever a mate bond, an Alpha must make a declaration.

His face becomes stone. "I, Alpha Froylan of Rigorou Mountain Pack, reject you, Vienna, as my mate."

The rejection rips through me like a thousand blades. My parents' cruelty was nothing compared to this.

"I... I accept your r-rejection," I manage between sobs. One last tearful glance—and I run.

I run blindly, deeper into the forest, tears blurring the world. My mate doesn't want me. Who ever would? I am nothing but a curse.

The thought of death lingers, heavy and dark. If I die, heaven and hell would both turn me away. No one has ever accepted me... maybe death will.

I stop at the edge of a cliff. The forest ends here. Before me, a waterfall crashes down into the churning waters below.

Night has fallen. The air is still, except for the roar of the falls. I sit at the cliff's edge and gaze up at the stars. The sky is beautiful... but tonight it feels like a mockery.

I lift my face to the Moon Goddess. "You are so unfair," I whisper. "How could you be so cruel to me? Am I not your daughter?" All werewolves are children of the Moon Goddess, created by her. "Then why did you abandon me?"

I hope she's listening. I never asked for riches or power... only love. But even my mate couldn't give me that.

Maybe in the afterlife, things will be different. I have nothing left to fight for. Even my wolf has abandoned me... I have never felt her presence, not once.

Nobody would care if I lived or died. Nobody would remember me. Yet... why do I still feel this faint urge to live? Is it only a cruel trick of my mind?

"Well, well. What a beautiful girl to be wandering alone in the dark."

I shot to my feet and turned, my heart slamming against my ribs. Three pale figures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming unnaturally, their smiles exposing sharp fangs.

Vampires.

My pulse roared in my ears.

One of them laughed coldly, drinking in the fear on my face. "I love that look. So sweet. So terrified."

"Don't come near me!" I shouted, though my voice trembled. My feet backed away instinctively... until I felt the empty air of the cliff's edge at my heels.

"This will be a delicious dinner," another sneered, licking his lips.

The one in the middle sniffed the air, and his expression shifted, brows furrowed. "Wait... what are you doing here, girl?" He stepped closer, confusion shadowing his menace.

I stumbled back, panic clawing at my throat. "I—I just came out for air!" My voice cracked as I struggled against the grip that seized my arm like iron.

"Let's drain her and be done with it," the vampire to the right growled.

"Not yet," the leader snapped, his eyes narrowing at me with something that looked like disbelief. "She reeks of... royal blood."

My heart stuttered. Royal blood? Me? No, he had to be mistaken. I am nothing but a cursed slave.

"No... You're wrong," I spat, thrashing against his hold.

"I don't think so," he said darkly.

Before I could react, the other two lunged. Fangs pierced both sides of my neck, and my scream tore through the night.

Agony blazed through me, but then something even more terrifying happened... fire erupted beneath my skin... blue fire covered my entire body.

What's happening to me?