The words finally escaped my lips."I, Nicole Woolridge, reject you, Jackson Byrd, as my mate."The wind that day was relentless. It tangled my hair, stung my cheeks, and blurred my view of his face. Maybe that was for the best.For the first time, I couldn’t read him. Sadness, regret, determination, perhaps even sorrow—I couldn’t tell. But my wolf felt it. A rejection wasn’t just words to a werewolf. It was a severing of something primal, something written into our very bones. Our wolves howled in protest, but mine was silent, still. She had made her choice long ago.After a long, drawn-out silence, Jackson’s eyes darkened to the deep red hue of a wolf on the edge of shifting. Yet, somehow, he smiled."Are you with him now?" he asked suddenly.I froze, caught off guard, and didn’t answer. My wolf stirred, uneasy.He seemed to understand anyway, nodding as if something had finally clicked into place."I, Jackson Byrd, accept your rejection." he said quietly, his voice heavy. His claws
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